Diana had barely had time to reach the two men.
"You could leave some for me," she said, nudging the dead man with her foot.
Hammer retrieved his knife and handed Diana the kukri. "Fighting is not egalitarian," he said. "You can fill in when the corners get full."
They continued to the lower decks. The air cleared of smoke; while the fires burned above, it wouldn't reach the lower decks for some time. They passed a few straggling passengers and crew; Hammer directed them towards safety.
No more soldiers stood in their path. The observation deck was split into two sealed rooms, the first dry and comfortable for the passengers, with the heavy glass port on one wall and another glass port on the far wall, where interested passengers could watch as the crew set up their equipment. Diana led Hammer to the heavy lock that separated the two rooms.
"We can put on the breathing gear and escape through the water lock," she said. "I have a boat waiting around the point of the island; it's just a working sloop, so it won't attract attention."
"I was going to take a lifeboat," Hammer replied, "but your plan is better. It's always good to avoid attention."
Diana spun the locking wheel. The heavy port opened, and she stepped through. As Hammer moved to follow, a shadow fell across his eyes; he turned and barely avoided another kukri, swung hard by a huge soldier. He bumped into the port, felt his impact knock Diana back inside and slam the lock shut.
Diana shouted, but was muffled by the thick glass. She watched Hammer fighting the soldier, and then felt a gaze on her back. She turned. It was Colonel Mahir Aiyalot, bloody and charred but very much alive.
"Terrorists," he said, spitting blood, "deserve no honor."
He attacked.
Mahir had, by his long experience in war, anticipated some sort of ambush, and had not walked into the galley unprepared. Although he hadn't foreseen the optical illusion, let alone the explosion, he had been sure of an attack from the side, and so had deliberately positioned himself by a thick counter. When Diana's explosive blew the galley apart, Mahir had dived, barely ahead of the blast, and most of the shockwave and fireball had passed above.
While his ears bled and his head pounded with burst capillaries, Mahir remained focused on his goal; detention or termination of the terrorists who had attacked this peaceful cruise vessel. Mahir had no knowledge of the Rubáiyát, or the code inside; all he had was his honor and his duty, and he'd let himself into the waterlock through a deck-side hatch, meant for emergencies.
Diana, caught off-guard, fought back. Unlike Hammer, her training had been in formal martial arts, focusing on deep stances and powerful short-range strikes. Mahir expected her to fall immediately, or try to fight with fancy high kicks. Instead, she rooted herself to the floor, fending him off at first defensively and then with more and more power. Mahir found himself backing up, although Diana barely moved from her initial position.
Hammer, inside the waterlock, kicked the giant's legs out, and followed him to the ground with a killing elbow. He leaped to his feet, rushed to the glass. The locking wheel refused to turn; Hammer kicked it, to no avail.
Mahir stood back. Diana, breathing steadily, seemed to see only the Colonel, her entire world narrowed to the pinpoint of Mahir's threat.
"I should have expected that this man would have an accomplice on board," Mahir said. He gestured to Hammer, helpless behind the heavy glass. "No terrorist, no matter how fanatic, works alone."
"We're not here to hurt anyone," Diana said softly. "The soldiers attacked us. Your men are trying to kill us. We have our own mission."
"You will not succeed," Mahir replied. "Already the passengers are safely off this ship. This day will not be one of media and celebration for your evil ideology."
Diana cocked her head. "We're not here to-"
She stopped. Stood upright out of her stance.
"He is," she said, and pointed at Hammer. "He was sent here to blow up the ship."
Hammer's chest tightened. He hit the glass again; it shook but held firm.
"I'm InterPol," she said. "I'm undercover, and I found him out. I was keeping him from carrying out his plan while the passengers escaped."
"She's lying!" Hammer shouted.
Mahir looked back and forth. "Why would he believe you?"
"Because of this," Diana said, and held out the oilcloth package. The Rubáiyát, with the code.
Hammer's eyes bulged in shock; he realized that Diana had stolen it, with incredible deftness of hand, as they'd collided before the water-lock separated them.
She must have been just waiting for the right time, he thought, and pounded on the glass.
Mahir seemed to reach a decision. He looked back at Hammer.
"You are safely confined," he said. "I will get my men and take you under arrest. This will be a great victory-"
Mahir's next words came with a gout of blood; the blade of the kukri that Hammer had given Diana appeared in his chest, and he shuddered and collapsed. Hammer swore; Diana, it seemed, was far less concerned with collateral damage than he.
She dropped the blade and walked to the glass. Hammer looked around. This side was sealed; the outer hatch could open, but he had no reason to leave with the Rubáiyát out of his hands.
"Thanks," she said. Hammer frowned at her serene expression; she seemed entirely unphased by the casual murder. "By the way, I don't really work for InterPol. Well, not all the time. Now, what should I do with you?"
Hammer struck the glass, and felt a twinge of satisfaction when Diana startled. "Don't waste words," he said. "Let me out, or leave me here. I'll be back for you either way."
Diana suddenly smiled. She shed her blood-spattered coat, revealing a very small bathing suit. Hammer's eyes widened.
She turned and walked away, to the far wall. There was an ornamental screen, which Diana kicked aside. Behind it, Hammer could see a hole and something metallic…
Diana pulled her legs up and over into the hold. She turned, waved the oilcloth package at Hammer, and vanished into the hole.
Hammer pulled his knife and scored the heavy glass with three powerful strokes. He reared back and fired a powerful Baritsu kick into the center of his scratches, and the glass crazed around the impact. He kicked again, and it shattered, and Hammer was through. He jumped over Mahir's body and reached the hole; the metallic shape had vanished. Without hesitation Hammer leaped through and found himself sliding down a slick metal tube; he sensed the sea rushing up beneath himself and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes, Hammer was underwater, the wake of the cruise ship spinning him around. The bright tropical sunlight lit up the world beneath the waves as bright as day; Hammer focused and saw the cruise ship moving in one direction, and a small metal tube moving in the other.
A single-person submersible device; Diana's "contingency" plan, apparently, had been her goal all along.
Hammer shook his head, then swam for the surface.
Three weeks later, Diana Wilkox strode through the streets of Cairo. The incident with Hammer had broken her cover, and although she'd dropped the package at a safe location, she needed to stay out of the game for a while. Cairo was a good place to lie low; because of the recent pyramid excavations, there was a lot of international business and therefore a great number of tourists.
Wanting to keep occupied, Diana had signed on with a small security firm to be a lookout. Nobody suspected a woman of being involved with security, or of being dangerous, for that matter. She sat at her small cafe table outside the client's building, ordered coffee, and sat watching the front gate. There were two armed guards outside. Diana had sat watching this building for almost a week. Aside from normal business, nothing had happened.