Cruise of Death by Linda

The Penthouse of The Hawaiian Hotel

Sean drove up to the front door of the hotel. He had agreed to take Max and Miranda to the docks, where they had made arrangements to take a cruise to the other islands. Max had agreed with Sean, because it could be a long time before she could take a vacation. The custody hearing had been last week and Max had been given custody of the girls but it would be another two weeks before they could come with Max.

Sean walked across the lobby floor to the elevator that went to the penthouse. He thought about what Max was going to do. He had never seen her so happy but he was still worried. He didn't know about taking care of a baby. He had done alright with Nick, but now there would be two. He would do whatever it took to make Max happy. He had been thinking about everything that he didn't know that the door to the elevator was open.

"Max, are you ready? Sean yelled as he opened the door.

"I'm almost ready," Max yelled from the bedroom.

"You don't want to miss the cruise," said Sean as he walked into the bedroom.

Sean walked over to the bed where Max was trying to pack. He puts his arms around her and kissed her.

"Sean, I'm still trying to pack," said Max as she turned around to face Sean.

"Remember that you only have two weeks before Dr. Hamil releases the girls from the hospital, then you will be so busy that you won't't even have time for me," replied Sean giving Max a kiss.

"That's right, in two weeks we both will be busy because they need a dad and you're going to help with them. I talked to Jake and Nick and they said to include them in taking care of them," replied Max smiling as she put the last of her in her suitcase.

Sean reached over on to the bed, picking up her luggage. "Ready to go now?" asked Sean taking the luggage to the door.

"Yes, I think I have what I want to take," replied Max.

"Is Miranda ready? Sean asked.

"I'm ready. I can't wait for this vacation. Once those little girls come here, there won't be any free time," replied Miranda coming out of the kitchen.

"Max, you told me that you were ready. What's the holdup now?" asked Sean going to the bedroom.

"I was on the phone with Jeff. He has been checking on a guest here. He wouldn't answer the phone in the room and housekeeping can't get into the room. He asked me if there is any way you can check on the gentleman and his wife?" Max asked coming out of the bedroom.

"I can do that for Jeff, but I want to take you to the cruise ship first, alright Max," said Sean opening the door and going out into the hallway.

Max and Miranda walked into the elevator with Sean following with their suitcases. Max stood there in the elevator with a worried look on her face. She was afraid that there might be something wrong.

"Max, I know that look, you don't have to worry about the place while you're gone. Your're supposed to enjoy yourself and relax," said Sean as they stepped out of the elevator.

"I need to stop at the desk. Jerry's there with Jeff, maybe they more about those guests," replied Max walking over to the desk.

"Max, we don't know what's going on in that room. Housekeeping couldn't get into the room to deliver the towels that they had ordered. You go with Sean and enjoy yourself and don't worry about anything," replied Jerry.

"I'll drop Max off at the cruise ship and then I'll pick up John and come back here. Max asked me to help Jeff, okay?" replied Sean.

"Thanks Sean, because I'm under rules, even though I'm head of security," replied Jeff.

"Sean, we can get to the cruise ship, if you need to stay here and help Jeff," Max replied as she went to the front desk and picked up the phone.

"Did you call James to ask him to take you to the docks?" asked Sean walking to desk.

"Yes I did, he can drop us off and you can go get John and find out why no one know about the couple in 525. Jerry has been calling the room and there's been no answer," said Max hanging up the phone.

"Alright, you be careful. I'll miss you while you're gone," said Sean as he walked Max across the lobby.

James had just driven up in the limosine. Getting out of the car, he came around and picked up the luggage, putting it in the trunk. Miranda got into the back seat and waited for Max, who was kissing Sean.

"Max, you better get going before Miranda gets impatient. This is her first cruise ad she is anxious. I'll be here when you get back," replied Sean as he watched Max get into the car.

Sean stood there just watching Max drive away. It would be a long week but he would survive it. At least he hoped so. He would spend some time with Nick and take Nick to see the girls. Sean turned and walked back into the hotel lobby. He went to the desk and called the station.

Honolulu Metro Police Dept.

Kaleo was busy when the phone started ringing. "Honolulu Police Department. Can I help you?" he asked.

"Kaleo, it's Sean. I need John to come to the Hawaiian Hotel. We need to check on some guests. Tell him to brng Gaines and Edwards with him," said Sean hanging up the phone.

"Hey Declan, Sean just called, he needs for you to go to the hotel and take Gaines and Edwards with you. Something is wrong with some guest at the hotel. I guess Jeff has made several calls to the room and no one has answered," said Kaleo hanging up the phone.

"Hey Chris, grab Danny and go the Hawaiian Hotel. We need to check on some guest. Sean is already there," replied John walking out the doors of the squad room.

The Hawaiian Hotel

"Did you call the room again, Jerry?" asked Sean standing beside the desk.

"Yes I did and still no one answered the phone. I have a strange feeling something's not right. Jerry, the people in 525, didn't they get off the cruise ship?" asked Jeff looking at Jerry.

"Max told me that she had several guest checking out because they were on the cruise," said Sean standing there. Just then Sean's cell plone started ringing.

"This is Captain Harada, Sean. I just received a call from the Palms Hotel. Kim had several guest from the cruise. She thought that they had left because they were full when they checked in. She sent her housekeeping to start the rooms. Sean, she found several of them sick. Bio-hazard responded to the hotel. I just got off the phone with the disease control center in Atlanta. They are sending several people to help to find out what's wrong."

"Lets go you guys. Sean needs our help," yelled John.

"John, Chris and Danny are going to the Palms to check it out. Kaleo and Linh will go with you," replied Harada

"You want us to go to the Palms and check it out?" Danny asked, standing at his desk.

"Yes, the center for disease control have been called. They should be here in the next 12 hours," Harada said looking at Danny and Chris.

Kaleo and Linh drove to the Hawaiian Hotel to meet with Sean. Kaleo thought about the cruise ship and turned to go by the docks. Linh had said something in the squad room that had made him think, that these people had come off the ship. Kaleo drove up to where the cruise ship been docked, but it was already gone. So he continued on to the Hawaiian.

Sean and Jeff stood in the hallway across from room 525. They had been busy moving guest off the 5th floor. Jerry had confirmed that the guest from the cruise ship had stayed on the 5th floor. Sean suddenly realize that this was the same cruise ship that Max had left on. He raced down the stairs to the front desk and picked up the phone to call that captain. He couldn't wait for the center, he need to go in there now. Bio hazard could do it with their suits.

"Captain, I need the bio hazard unit now. I need someone to go down to the docks and make sure it hasn't left," said Sean with a worried look on his face

"Sean, Kaleo just called the station to tell me that the cruise ship has left port. Was that the cruise ship that Max was taking?" asked Harada.

"Yes, it was. They were going to be stopping at other islands on the cruise," replied Sean.

"I'll get someone on the route of the ship," said Harada hanging up the phone.

"Sean, I went by the docks, that cruise ship has left port," said Kaleo walking across the lobby.

"What's the matter, Sean, you look like Kaleo said the wrong thing," replied Linh looking at Sean.

"Max left this morning on that ship," said Sean.

Just as Sean turned to walk away, he heard the sirens on the bio hazard truck. A few minutes later the came through the revolving doors of the hotel. They were wearing bio hazard suits.

"I'm Lt. Daniels of the bio hazard unit. I need to find out where Detective Harrison is. I was told to get in touch with him," said the lieutenant.

"I'm Harrison," replied Sean turning around from the front desk and walking toward him.

"Captain Harada said that you were not sure of the condition of the people in room 525. So we're here to check out the room. He suggested that we wear the bio suits for protection. Can you take us to the room and we'll take a look," replied Daniels.

"I'll show you where the room is. Jeff has a guard posted at the door so no one can get in," said Jeff leading them over to the elevator.

"Detective Harrison, do you have any idea about this?" asked the lieutenant.

"I don't know too much. I agreed to check out the room, but then I decided to call you guys in at the last minute. No one has seen this couple since they checked in four days ago. Someone called to ask for fresh towels, but when they tried to get in the room they couldn't," said Sean walking down the hallway to room 525.

"We'll go in and then we can let you know," said Daniels opening the door.

The Luietent opened the door. He started to walk in the room followed by his men. The look on his face said everything. The couple were dead. Daniels ordered his men out of the room. They slowly backed up one by one.

"The couple in that room are dead. I would have to say that they have been dead for about a day. We need to quarantine this floor. You said that they were from that cruise ship. Were there any other people from that ship on this floor?" asked Daniels.

"Yes, there were several couples. I can get the room numbers from the front desk," said Jerry taking out his cell phone.

"What's the matter? You look worried," asked John talking to Sean.

"Max, left on that cruise ship this morning," replied Sean with a sad look on his face.

The Palm's Hotel

"Sean said for us to wait for bio hazard to get here before going in the rooms," said Chris talking to Danny.

"They just drove up," replied Danny getting out of his car.

"I'm Lt. Williams with the bio hazard unit. I called and talked to Detective Harrison. They found two of the people have died," said the lieutenant, putting on his suit.

"Detective Gains... and Detective Edwards," responded Chris, introducing themselves.

"Do they know how they died?" asked Chris.

"We won't know till they do an autopsy on the couple. Coroner was going to start as soon as he could. We should know something by this afternoon," said Williams.

"This is Kim, she owns the hotel. She has a list of the rooms that the cruise passengers stayed in," replied Chris.

"You need to stay here and let us go check," said Williams walking to the first door.

Danny and Chris watched as William's and his men started to check the rooms.

"Gains," yelled Williams from the second floor. "We need several ambulances here. We have several people sick. Call Captain Harada and tell him we need suits for the paramedics and to take these people out here. Tell Harada to call the hospital and let them know what is going on here. Gains, in my truck there is a roll of tape. Start roping off the hotel with it and call for back up to stand guard," yelled Williams going back into a room.

The Hawaiian Hotel

"Sean, this is Chris, so far Lt. Williams has found several people sick. He told me that those people who left the Hawaiian could be sick too," said Chris wrapping the tape around a tree.

"Thanks Chris. The Center for Disease Control is on its way. The director called and they are in California right now," replied Sean.

"As soon as Lt. Williams is done here, Danny and I will come to the Hawaiian and help," said Chris.

"Copy that," replied Sean.

"Harper is here She just came in the front door," said John.

"Sean, do you know what has killed this couple?" asked Harper going to the elevator.

"No, we don't. We hope you can tell us. Harper, we need to know as fast as you can get the autopsy done," replied Sean going to the elevator.

Sean and John followed Harper down the hallway to where the couple had been left in their room. Lt. Daniels handed her bio suit for protection.

"Harper, can you make a quick exam on them so we have an idea of what we're working with?" Sean asked as Harper walked in the room.

"I can look at them, and maybe I see what killed them," replied Harper turning to look at Sean.

They waited patiently while Harper looked at them. She picked up the woman's hand to look at the sores on her arm. After a few minutes, Harper came out of the room and took off the bio suit. Sean could see the look on her face, knowing she had seen something that worried her. Harper took out a book from her bag and started writing her findings in it.

"Harper, I need to know what you found so far?" asked Sean.

"I don't know what to tell you, but I know that what killed them is a form of bacteria. Sean, I need to get them back to the medical examiner's office. I should be able to find out more. I should know something in a couple of hours. I'll give a call when I have examined them closer," replied Harper talking to Sean.

"John, this Danny, we talked to some of the people here at the Palm's hotel. They told us they started getting sick after the third day of the cruise. It has to be something on the cruise ship or something they picked up on one of the islands," said Danny.

"Danny, you and Chris find out what their course was," said Sean running across the lobby.

"Sean, where are you going?" Chris asked.

"I have to find that cruise ship. Max is on it," yelled Sean, running out the door.

"We need to get hold of the coast guard for help," said John closing the door on Sean's car.

"Then radio them to meet me at the docks because I'm going with them," replied Sean.

"Sean, you can't. You don't know how bad it is on that ship," John replied.

"I know that Max is on that ship and she could become sick or even die," said Sean.

"I called the Coast Guard. They said that they would meet you at the docks. They wanted to know who's going. I told them Detectives Harrison and Declan," said John.

"John, I can't let you risk your life for this. I'm going by myself," replied Sean getting out of the car.

"If you think that I'm going to let you go by yourself then you're crazy," said John Following Sean to the Coast Guard cutter.

Sean stood there looking at the ocean. He wondered where the cruise ship could be by now. It had been four hours since Max left onoard and Sean was getting inpatient waiting on the people from the Center for Disease Control. He wanted to leave as soon as they had found that couple dead but he knew that they had to be ready for what they found.

"Sean, the captain just called. He needs us to come to the station. The people from Atlanta are here. Bio hazard has their equipment on the Coast Guard cutter," said John.

"Let's go," replied Sean running to the car.

"Harada said that they had contacted the cruise liner. They were surprised by the fact that she had been put back into operations," replied John.

"Why were they surprised by Harada's questions about the cruise ship?" asked Sean.

"According to the man, the ship was infected by some kind of bacteria that covered the hull of the ship. It was supposed to be in quarantine till they could get it cleaned up," John replied.

"It looks like someone screwed up and released it," said Sean.

"A representative is coming from the cruise line to help," replied John as the drove into the police lot.

Sean ran into the squad room, followed by John. He stopped in front of Harada's office. The captain was talking to several people. Sean slowly opened the door and walked in. He stood there listening to what was being said.

"We have a police helicopter looking for it. So far they haven't checked in," said Harada.

"The ship was suppose to be in quarantine for bacteria on the hull. So why why was it put back into service?" Sean asked.

"Maybe I can try and explain what happen here," said the man in the doorway.

"Who are you?" asked Harada as the man came into the office.

"My name is Frank Smith, I'm with the cruise line. The name of the ship you are looking for is the Tahitian Princess. We quarantined her last year because of contamination on her hull. What happened is that she was on a cruise to Alaska. The month before there had been an oil spill along the southern coast of Alaska. Her captain was told to avoid this but he didn't listen to the company and when she came back in our people found the bacteria in the oil had covered the hull," said Mr. Smith.

"Didn't you try to do anything to clean it up?" asked Sean moving closer to the man.

"We ordered a clean up to start immediately. The ship wasn't suppose to go back into service until it had been gone over," replied Smith.

"Captain, Chris is on the radio for you," Kaleo stated, going out the door.

"This is Harada, go ahead Chris. Have you spotted the cruise ship? Harada asked.

"We think so, but she's not on the course that she's suppose to be on. We were told that she was going to Oahu and then to the other islands. We need to know the name of the ship?" asked Chris.

"Chris, it's the Tahitian Princess," replied Harada.

"We have the ship in sight but it looks like it's in trouble. There is no one on deck. The pilot just flew by so we could see if anyone is at the wheel but there is no one, captain. This ship is drifting in the open sea," said Chris.

"Captain, we have to move fast to get to that ship. I'm going and you can't stop me. Max is on the ship," replied Sean going toward the door.

"Do you have everything you need? The Coast Guard cutter is standing on alert. Bio Hazard is waiting on the cutter with extra suits. Check with Harper before you leave, she was running some test on the bacteria," replied Harada.

"Captain, call Admiral Moore. We'll need a ship to bring the passengers back. A medical one," yelled Sean from the other room.

"Sean, I went and got a report from Harper on the bacteria. It becomes a contagious after twenty four hours," John replied.

Sean and John ran out the doors followed by Mr. Smith. He closed the car door behind him and drove out of the parking. With sirens and lights, Sean hurried to the docks where everyone was waiting. As they walked up the ramp Sean and John were handed bio hazard suits to put on.

"No one gets on that ship without one of these suits," yelled Daniels at the top of his lungs.

"I'm coming Max, just hold on," Sean said to himself, standing at the railing of the cutter.

"Sean, The Center for Disease Control is here. They want to know if you're ready to get under way. Harada called me and Admiral Moore is ordering a hospital ship to set sail to the coordinates that Chris is at," John replied standing beside of Sean.

"It's my fault that she's on that cruise. She didn't want to go because of the girls, but I had to get her out of that hospital. She's been there for the last three weeks. She needed a break before she became sick. Then who would be able to take care of them," said Sean in a somber voice.

"You can't blame yourself, you didn't know that this ship was in trouble," replied John.

"Detective Harrison, everyone is onboard the cutter and the captain is ready to leave," said Daniels walking up to Sean.

"Let's go, we don't have much time to save those people on board," Sean replied turning and walking to the cutter.

Sean and John boarded the ship and started to walk to the front of the cutter. He just stood there looking out at the open sea. He could feel the warm sea air as the cutter moved through the water. Sean could only imagine what they would find once they got onboard the ship. They were standing there talking when Lt. Daniel's came up to them.

"Sean, you and John need to put on a bio suit if you're going aboard the ship. I have one for each of you. The doctors from the center want to talk to every body before going on the ship. It's more like a briefing on what to do," said Daniel's.

"Do they want see us now?" Sean asked looking at Daniels.

"From the way they were talking, I think so. The doctor who is in charge wants to explain some things to us before we board the ship," Daniels replied leaving Sean and John standing there.

"Guess we had better follow Daniels so we know what to do," exclaimed John as they started to follow Daniels.

They walked to the back of the cutter where several people were dressed in white suits. Daniel's handed Sean and John a set of bio suits for their protection. Sean was pulling up the zipper when a man came out of the captain's office.

"Excuse me, I need to have your attention if I may. I'm Dr. Matthews and I'm with the center. We need to inform you of the danger that lays ahead of you. Once you're on the ship, you have to remember that you can't remove any part of the suit. It is for your own safety because we don't know just exactly what we are dealing with. Detective Harrison, the medical examiner from your police department was doing an autopsy on the couple found at The Hawaiian Hotel. Have you heard any more from her?" asked Dr. Matthews looking at Sean.

"She was suppose to call me when she knew anything. I'll call her office and see if she knows any thing yet," replied Sean taking out his cell phone.

"We have been in contact with the captain of the medical ship that's headed for the cruise ship. We are also in contact with a Detective Gains and he told us that it looks like the ship is drifting further out to sea. That means her crew could be ill also. When the Navy gets there, a SEAL team wearing protective suits will board the ship and get the ship under control," replied the doctor.

"I just got confirmation from Harper. The couple had a bacteria in their blood samples. It takes less than twenty fours for the incubation period. The people who were taken to the hospital are still in critical condition," replied Sean.

"When we board the ship, the primary goal is to check on the passengers. All of them will be transported to the Navy's hospital ship, which will stay at sea till we have this contained," said the doctor.

"Excuse me, Dr. Matthew's, the team that was sent to Hawaiian Hotel can't find the owner and without her permission, they can't start the cleanup there," replied the man.

"I maybe able to help you. The owner is onboard the cruise ship. Tell your people to ask for Jerry, he's the general manager," said Sean.

"Thanks for telling us. We brought six teams with us. The bio hazard from the Honolulu police dept, will be separated into two teams. Lt. Daniels will lead one of the teams and Lt. Williams will lead the second team. Detective Harrison, you will be on my team and Declan will be on team two. Before you board the ship, you have to remember this. No part of the suit is to come off under any circumstances," replied Dr. Matthews

Sean watched as Dr. Matthews give some orders to his people and then he walked to the front of the cutter. He just stood there looking out at the ocean. He had the tired look of a man who had done this several times.

"They said this was cleaned up, we should of done the job ourselves. That way we would have known," The doctor said to himself.

"Excuse me, Dr. Matthews, I didn't mean to listen in," said Sean walking to the railing.

"That's alright. It's really been rough this year on the people at the center. We have been through a lot. We're all tired and we need a break but in our line work that's not possible. This cruise ship is a nightmare. Last year it was on a cruise to Alaska and they went through an oil slick. The company spent months cleaning it up. We were called in when some of their people became sick. We learned that some of the chemicals they used to clean up the ship wasn't supposed to be used for oil clean ups. Once the chemicals came in contact with the ship, a bacteria started growing," replied Dr. Matthews.

"Listen to me, being a cop is not easy either. Everyday something happens and we have to find out what happened and why they did it," said Sean looking at Matthew's. Just then his cell phone rang. "Harrison, can I help you?" asked Sean.

"Sean, it's Max you have to help us. Something is wrong with the captain and some of the passengers are very sick. Miranda is sick also. We were supposed to stop in Ohoa but we didn't. Sean, what is going on here?" Max asked.

"Max, there is a bacteria' infection on the ship and it's making everyone sick. Help's coming. I'm on a coast guard cutter right now. The police helicopter is following the ship; Chris and Danny are on board. We need to know if there is any way you can go to the wheel room and shut the controls down. As fast as the cutter is going we still can't catch up with the cruise ship," said Sean.

"I'll go up to the wheel room and see what I can do. I have to tell you that I'm scared," said Max in a scared tone of voice.

"I know you are, I'll be there as fast as I can. I'm on the cutter," replied Sean.

"Max is onboard the cruise ship. She says the captain and his crew are sick. She's going to the wheel room to see if she can't shut the ship down," Sean said.

"The faster we can get on the ship, the better," said Matthews as sean dialed a cell phone number.

"Chris, this Sean, are you still over the ship?" asked Sean.

"We're still following it. What's happened?" Chris asked.

"Max called me. The captain and his crew are sick. She's going to try and shut down the ship control. Do you think that you can get on board?" asked Sean.

"I think so. I can go down a rope and land on the deck. I'll signal you when I'm board," said Chris.

"Chris, what are you doing?" asked Danny staring at Chris.

"I'm going to lower myself on to the deck of the ship. Max is going to try and stop it, but if she can't then I have to try and lower myself down," said Chris putting the harness.

"Have you ever done this before?"

"No, this is my first time. I guess will see if I can do it. The worst thing that could happen, I could land the ocean," replied Chris.

Chris sat on the edge of the helicopter as Danny used the winch to slowly lower him down. Chris hung there in mid air as he slowly moved down. He was only a few feet from the deck of the ship when he felt a gust of wind hit him hard. Suddenly Chris was flying over the railing and across the ocean. Danny looked to see Chris hanging in midair. He quickly turned to the pilot to stop.

"Chris, are you all right?" yelled Danny, looking out the door of the helicopter.

"I'm okay, but you need to get Joe to fly over the ship again. I saw someone on the deck," Chris yelled back.

"Joe, I need you to circle the ship and slowly lower Chris to the deck below," replied Danny looking at Joe.

Joe slowly started to move in circle around the ship. Chris hung to the rope as he was lowered to the deck below but there was a problem. Chris was starting to swing from the wind that the blades created but he managed to land on the deck.

"Joe, can you fly around the ship and then come back to where you are right over the deck," Danny replied.

"I'll have to be careful. With Chris on the deck, the force of the blades could blow him right off and into the ocean," said Joe.

"I'll just have take to my chances and be careful where I land," replied Danny slowly lower him self down the rope.

Danny was inches from the deck when he felt Joe suddenly move the helicopter out over the ocean, taking him with it. Chris looked up to feel the sudden rush of wind and Danny being pulled away.

"Joe, what happened?" yelled Chris on the radio.

"I hit some air imbalance which was pulling me down. I had to pick up speed or I would have crashed on the deck. I'm coming back around and we'll try this again," replied Joe.

He flew the helicopter around the ship and tried to lower Danny down once more. Danny was watching the deck as he moved down the rope. Finally he felt his feet touch the deck. Danny let go of the rope and watched as Joe flew away from the ship. Chris and Danny noticed the body laying on the deck. They went to see who it was. As Danny turned the body over he recognized her as Max. He knelt down beside of her. She was trying to say something.

"Tried to stop the ship but I passed out before I got to the wheel house. Have to do it so Sean can get to the ship," said Max in a faint voice as she lay in Danny's arms.

The Tahitian Princess

Chris was kneeling on the deck, just beside of Max. Chris knew that Max had a temperature from just feeling her face. He found the first aid kit that he had brought down from the helicopter. He opened it and started looking for the bottle water so he could wipe Max face. He looked at Max laying there on the deck, as she tried to talk.

"Chris, what is she saying. I don't understand it?" replied Danny kneeling beside Max.

"I'm not sure. It's like she saying that she has to stop the ship," remarked Chris listening to Max.

"You have to stop the ship, it's the only way that they can catch up. I was trying to, but I couldn't, no matter what I did," said Max barely breathing.

"We have to stop this ship, At this speed the cutter wouldn't be able to catch up with it," said Chris picking up Max and laying her on a lounge chair.

"We need to find the wheel room and shut off the engine, Chris," replied Danny.

"The front of the ship is where the wheel room would be. We had better hurry, we don't have much time," said Chris running to the front of the ship.

"Chris, could that be it?" asked Danny pointing to a room.

"I think so, it looks like it is. We'll check it out," said Chris running up the stairs to the next deck.

"Is it the wheel room?" Danny asked following Chris.

"Yeah, it's the room we're looking for. Now to see what will turn the engine off," said Chris walking to the console.

Chris looked over the control panel and then turned the key to the left. Within a few minutes he could hear the engines shutting down. He looked up and the ship had come to a complete stop. Danny and Chris ran back to the deck where Max was lying. The Coast Guard cutter be seen in the distance.

The Coast Guard cutter

"Captain, the ship has stopped. They're not moving," said the man at the wheel.

"Get me Harrison, tell to report to the captain," replied the captain looking through binoculars at the cruise ship.

Sean opened the door to the captains office. The captain and Dr. Matthews were discussing how they would board the ship.

"Sean, the cruise has been stopped and we are planing on boarding it. The six teams are to be divided up, we want you to lead one of the teams. The captain tells me that your levelheaded when it comes to trouble. My people know what to do but will follow your orders. The worst cases will be transported to the hospital ship," said Matthews.

"Excuse me sir, but I have someone on the radio. They say that they on the cruise ship and that they need to talk to Detective Harrison," said the radioman.

"Follow him, Sean, it may that someone is okay, that's onboard the ship," said the captain as Sean followed the radioman to the radio room.

"This is Sean. Go ahead," Sean replied talking into the microphone on the radio.

"Sean, this is Chris. Danny and I are onboard the cruise ship. We were flying over it when we saw someone on the deck. Joe lowered us down. Before you yell at us, we have bio suits on," replied Chris.

"Chris, did you stop the ship? Who did you find on the deck," asked Sean.

"It was Max, she was barely breathing. She has sores all over her, and she was trying to get to the wheel room when she passed out. Sean, it doesn't look good. Danny is checking the rooms for more people. We found the crew in the wheel room, they're all sick. You need to hurry for Max's sake," said Chris.

"I understand, Chris. Is Joe still out here?" asked Sean.

"He's flying over the ship, but he's listening for us on the radio," replied Chris.

"Radio him to fly over the cutter. I'll be ready in a few minutes. Do you copy, Chris," said Sean running out the radio room.

"You said I was leading one of the teams, so which one is it," asked Sean.

"Team two, but why? We can't board till we get up next to the ship," replied Matthews looking at Sean.

"Joe will be flying over us in a few minutes. We don't have time for the cutter to get close to the ship. Joe, has harnesses on board and he's going to drop them to us and then fly us over the ship and lower us down. He has already done it with Chris and Danny. They're on board right now. They stopped the ship," said Sean.

"All right, go tell your team what they're going to be doing," said Matthews

Sean walked out on the deck and looked up for any sign of Joe.

"Sean, I see you. How many are going to be air lifted to the Cruise ship?" asked Joe coming in closer to the cutter.

"Seven people, so we need seven harness dropped to the cutter," said Sean.

"I can't take all of you at once, but we can do it by splitting you up," said Joe dropping the harness.

"When the harness are dropped, put one of them on. Joe will fly us to the cruise ship. All you have to do is lower yourself down till you reach the deck," said Sean.

"You want us to do what?" asked one of the men on Sean's team.

"I want you to put that harness on and Joe will pull you up and then lower you to the deck below," replied Sean.

"What do we look like, acrobats in a circus? We weren't trained to do things like that," said the man.

"Do you think that we are? Everyday we have to do things that aren't in the line of duty, but we do it because it's our job. That Cruise ship is part of yours and you need to get on it to treat the people," replied Sean in an angry tone of voice.

"Detective Harrison, you're right. We joined the center to protect people at any cost. If that means we put on the harness and if it means learning to fly, then that's what we have to do," said the redhead man putting on the harness.

"J.J.'s right. We took an oath to do our job. To help people when they're sick, so if means putting on that harness and flying through the air, then let's do it," said the man.

"Det. Harrison, is this your first time doing this?" asked J.J.

"No it's not, I was in the military during Desert Storm. I was in special ops and we did this almost everyday," replied Sean, snapping the belt on the harness.

"Joe, will come around and pick you up. You will be flying in midair over the ocean. Everything will be okay so long as you don't panic. Then Joe will lower you down to the first deck. You have to take off the harness as fast as you can so that Joe can take off. Danny and Chris are there to help you." John added as he watched Joe fly to where he was picking up Sean.

"Joe, is right over our heads now. When he starts to pick you up, don't panic, just relax and it will go easy," said Sean as Joe started to lift them one by one till they were in the air.

Joe slowly flew the helicopter over the ocean, till he was over the deck of the cruise ship. Sean looked down; he could see Chris standing over the body of Max. Soon Sean was close enough to the deck that he could move down the rope till was closer and then he jumped. He ran to where Max was and knelt down beside her. He could feel how hot she was through the gloves. One by one the men lowered them selves down to the deck.

"You men know what to do. The passengers are likely to be in there rooms," said Sean.

"The captain and most of his crew are in the wheel room. They're unconscious and so are most of the passengers," Danny added.

"We'll go check out the passengers. There are some things that we can do before Dr. Matthews gets here. Tom, you start taking samples of blood and running them through the lab. Sean, can Danny or Chris get a sample from the ship. We need one," said J.J. unpacking the equipment.

"Danny can get it for you. Just tell him what you need and something to put it in," replied Sean going back to Max.

"Chris told us that Max boarded the ship in Honolulu at about 7:30. It's now 2:00. That means she must of become infected as soon as she walked on board. He told us they found her housekeeper in the room. The guys have all ready started to treat her. As soon as you get Max to her room we'll start the treatment," said J.J.

"How do you know what to do for them?" asked Chris.

"Dr. Matthews is pretty sure that it's from the bacteria on the ship's hull. That's why he needs a sample from the ship to compare with the lab report he has on the last one." J.J. replied.

"Just tell me what you want me to do," said Danny.

"Take this sample dish and scrape some of the ship in it. The bacteria will be easy to see. We have a spray to use. It will make it show up better on the ship," replied J.J..

"Sean, you take Max to her room. She is pretty sick." Chris replied as Sean picked up Max in his arms and started out the door.

J.J. Stood there watching as the team went to work. He noticed that some of the people weren't as sick as the others. Just as he turned to go help, he heard Dr. Matthews voice yelling orders to the other team. With his bag in his hand he started for Max's room. He needed to start the treatment before she became worse. He was going to the room when he stopped; he didn't understand why some of them were sicker than the others. He was in front of Max's room, he opened the door and walked in. Max was laying on the bed. Sean had covered up with a blanket.

"Dr. Matthews is here. He and the rest of the teams have started working on the rest of the passenger. The symptoms are very much like the last time, but yet there's something strange."

"Dr. Matthews," yelled J.J. "I was just coming to see you. There's something strange here. Sean's friend Max, she is very sick and she has only been on the ship since early this morning while others have been on the ship for three days and only have a temperature," said J.j.

"I noticed that when I started to check the passengers," said Dr. Matthews looking at J.J.

"It's like one end of the ship has more of the bacteria than the other," said J.J.

"If they were to scrub the ship down, it would take most of a year to do. That's including every inch of the ship," said Dr. Matthews who turned to see Danny opening the door.

"Dr. Matthews, I brought you the sample that they asked me to get, but when I used this bottle on the bacteria. This came off the ship too. It looks like paint," replied Danny showing them the sample.

"That's why some of them aren't as sick as the others. They scrubbed part of the ship and then they painted the rest of it, to cover up the bacteria," replied Dr. Matthews.

"Do you want me to find Jake and have take pictures of the painted area?" asked J.J.

"Find Jake and have him take pictures of the ship where they found paint. We're going to need it when we confront the cruise line," yelled Dr. Matthews.

Sean couldn't help overhearing the yelling as he walked out on the deck. He could see Dr. Matthews standing by the railing.

"Something wrong? I heard you yelling as I came through the door," replied Sean.

"One of your people, his name is Danny. He was getting a sample of the bacteria for me. This is what he came back with," said Dr. Matthews

"Did he get the sample for you?" asked Sean looking at the doctor.

"He got the sample plus more. This also came off the ship," replied Matthews pulling out the container.

"Is that paint with the sample?" asked Sean looking at the container.

"Yes, it is," replied Matthews.

"You said this ship was scrubbed down, till it was cleansed of all the bacteria?" Sean remarked.

"That's what we were told. They even showed us the bills from the company that cleaned it. The cruise line said that it would take almost a year to get all of the Bacteria, but after six months, their main office called us and said that the job was done. I didn't want to believe them because how could they of knock six months off the cleaning," replied Matthews with a frown on his face.

"It's looks like they lied to you. In this case there is something you can do about it," said Sean looking at Matthews.

"What can I do? I only work for the center and we don't have too much authority when it comes to finding things wrong," replied Matthews.

"There is something that you can do. You can quarantine all the cruise line's ships until they have been completely inspected by your teams. You can do more than you think. There is also the couple at the hotel that died because of the bacteria. You also have Max. I can tell you that she will sue the cruise line and when she's done, she'll own it," said Sean smiling.

"Does she have that much power behind her?" Matthews asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, she owns The Hawaii Hotel and casino. She has that much power. I call her Max but that's not her full name, It's Kate Maxwell. When her husband died a few years ago, she became one of the wealthiest women in the world," said Sean smiling.

"She could bring this cruise line down," Matthews replied.

"Yes, she could. I need to go check on Max. She was sleeping when I left," Sean said walking off toward the staterooms.

"Sean," yelled John running behind him.

"What's the matter John?" asked John turning around.

"Commander Raymond is on the radio. He says that the hospital ship is about fives miles away. He said to tell Matthews to be ready transport when they arrive. He said that Admiral Moore told him to stay at sea for as long as it takes. Even though we are wearing bio suits, does that mean us too?" John asked.

"No, you don't have to. You can go back on the Coast Guard cutter as soon as everyone has been moved to the ship," replied Sean.

"Do you want me to tell Harada that you are staying with Max till she recovers?" asked John.

"Would you tell him that it'll be about two weeks before everybody will have recovered," replied Sean.

"I'll tell him. Do we file charges against the cruise line for the death of that couple?" asked John.

"Yes, also file charges of attempted murder that will cover the other passengers," Sean replied walking toward Max's room.

"Hey Sean. Don't get too close to Max. When she starts to recover she's going to be mad," yelled John smiling.

"Oh yeah, I don't want to see her temper after this," replied Sean turning around and smiling at John.

"Me neither, not with that red hair," John told himself walking down the deck.

Sean walked the length of the corridor till he came to Max's room. Miranda had been moved to another room, her fever was still very high and they were having to use a much stronger antibiotic for her. Sean was worried about her and wondered if she would recover. He was in front of Max's door when he saw Dr. Matthews come out the room where Miranda was.

"Dr. Matthews, how is Miranda doing?" asked Sean walking to her room.

"I just increased the antibiotic flow that she is getting through the IV. She's going to be the first one moved to the hospital ship. Her temperature should be coming down soon, I hope," said the doctor as he started down the hallway.

Sean turned and went back to Max's room. He could hear her as he opened the door. He saw that she was arguing with one of Matthews people.

"I'm getting up, I told you and that's that. Do you hear me. I'm getting tired of this bed. Do you know who you are arguing with?" Max asked.

"Yes, I know who you are, but you still have to stay in this bed. Are going to do what I tell you to or do I have to get somebody with a little more authority than me?" asked the man standing and looking at Max.

"I should have warned you, she's used to getting her own way. She's kinda of bossy. Let me talk to her, I'll get her to stay in bed, okay. You can can check on the other people," said Sean smiling as the man left the room.

"Thanks, I have to check on everybody in this corridor," replied the man who walked out the door.

Sean could still hear Max as he stood just outside of the door. Then he heard the sound of someone falling. He knew before he even went in that Max had tried to get out of bed. I guess I have to use more stronger means of keeping her in bed. Just then he thought about his handcuffs and pulled them out of the holster that he wore.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Sean going into the bedroom.

"I was trying to get out of bed but my legs are really weak," replied Max as Sean bent down to pick her up.

"He told you to stay in bed. You need to listen to him. He's the doctor around here, not you. He knows what he is doing. Otherwise I'll have to cuff you to the bed," replied Sean laying Max in the bed.

"You don't have to do that. I'll stay in bed," replied Max.

"You lay here and rest while I check to see if the hospital ship has arrived," Sean said going the door.

"Sean, I was just coming to get you, the hospital ship just came up beside of us. Dr. Matthews says that the more critical are to be moved first," said Chris going back up the hallway.

Sean followed Chris, till he was in the doorway. Dr. Matthews was already moving the passengers to the hospital ship.

"Well for the next two weeks that ship is home. Commander Raymond brought some more doctors and med techs. This is not over yet. One way or another this Cruise line will have to pay for what it did. You can't take shortcuts when you have a contaminated ship like this one," replied Matthews.

"The Coast Guard is going to stand guard over it. This cruise line is in for a rough ride. The lawsuits will probably put them out of business," said Sean Looking at Dr. Matthews,

"If it doesn't, I'll make sure the center closes them down. The next time we may not be so lucky," replied Dr Matthews as he was transported to the hospital ship.

"You're right. It could of been a lot worst," Sean said to himself as he thought about Max.

THE END