Chapter 105-Saving Celyn

Chapter 105: 105-Saving Celyn

The countdown on Aymara’s screen continued ticking.

[01:32 remaining.]

Inside Medical Bay B, Daniel kept Celyn trapped against his chest, the knife pressed dangerously close to her throat. Marcus paced back and forth, his gaze darting between the locked door and the security camera.

"She’s bluffing," Marcus muttered. "There’s no way she’s going to risk killing the hostage."

Daniel didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling panel, where he suspected the security units might emerge.

"Don’t underestimate her," he finally said. "She wouldn’t have locked us in here if she were afraid of us."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Marcus asked, starting to worry.

"We make her understand that we’re serious," Daniel said. "We have to get her to take us seriously."

Daniel tightened his arm around Celyn. The woman whimpered, struggling to keep her neck away from the blade. Her face had grown pale, and tears clung to her lashes, but she still managed to speak.

"Please... you don’t have to do this," Celyn pleaded with them.

"Shut up!" Daniel snapped.

"You said we’d only pretend to be helpless until we got aboard. You never said you’d kill anyone!"

Marcus spun toward her. "And you should have kept your mouth shut instead of exposing us!"

Celyn flinched.

Aymara heard every word through the room’s audio system. Her expression grew colder with each passing second.

So they had planned everything. Their shipwreck, their helpless appearance, and even their supposed escape from the pirates had likely been part of a scheme to infiltrate her vessel.

Celyn’s warning had disrupted their plans, forcing them to reveal their true intentions before they could gain access to the rest of the ship.

Aymara glanced at Nathaniel. "They were planning to infiltrate my ship from the beginning."

"That’s what it looks like." His gaze remained on the screen. "The question is whether they were acting independently or following someone’s orders."

"We’ll find out after I get Celyn out of there."

Nathaniel squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Then let’s bring her home, Mara."

Aymara’s heart gave an unexpected little flutter at his words. Home? He had said it so naturally as though her ship was already a place where they belonged together.

She quickly pushed the thought aside. Now was not the time to get distracted by her increasingly dangerous feelings for Nathaniel. Plus, she wasn’t saving Celyn to let her stay with them, she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

[00:45 remaining.]

Aymara activated the communication channel.

"Daniel, you have forty-five seconds left. Release Celyn, put down the knife, and lie facedown on the floor. Marcus, do the same."

Marcus laughed bitterly. "You really think we’re going to surrender?"

"No," Aymara replied. "I think you’re about to discover how little your opinion matters on my fortress," her calmness seemed to unsettle him more than shouting would have.

Daniel’s gaze flickered toward the ceiling again. "Listen to me carefully," he said, addressing the camera. "If you try anything, she’ll die before your machines reach us."

Aymara leaned forward. "You’re making a very common mistake, Daniel."

His eyes narrowed. "What’s that?"

"You think the only way I can save her is by entering the room myself," she smirked and before he could respond, Aymara raised her hand. "System. Execute the rescue protocol."

[Command confirmed.]

[Security units deployed.]

A section of the ceiling opened silently. The targeted restraint unit descended on a concealed cable, its compact mechanical arms unfolding as it moved toward Daniel.

At the same time, a second security unit emerged from the opposite side of the room, its movement deliberately drawing Marcus’s attention.

"What the hell is that?" Marcus shouted. He turned toward the second machine and immediately raised his knife. "Stay back!"

The security unit stopped several feet away. Its mechanical voice sounded throughout the room.

"Hostile individuals. Drop your weapons and surrender immediately."

Marcus responded by hurling a metal tray at it. The tray struck the machine’s reinforced casing and clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"Useless piece of junk!" He cursed.

While Marcus was distracted, Daniel noticed the shadow moving above him. His eyes widened.

"Get away from me!"

He dragged Celyn sideways, attempting to shield himself with her body but the restraint unit had already calculated his movements.

A mechanical arm shot forward, clamping around his wrist. Daniel screamed as the knife was wrenched from his grasp. It struck the floor and slid beneath the examination bed.

Celyn stumbled free and before Daniel could recover, the unit secured both his arms behind his back and forced him onto his knees.

"Let go of me!" he roared, struggling violently against the restraints.

The machine tightened its grip.

[Hostile individual restrained.]

Across the room, Marcus charged toward the locked door, apparently deciding that escape was more important than helping his companion.

He barely made it three steps when the second security unit intercepted him, deploying an electromagnetic restraint that locked around his limbs. Marcus crashed onto the padded floor, swearing furiously as he struggled to move.

Within seconds, both men were immobilized.

[All hostile individuals restrained.]

[Hostage secured.]

Aymara released a breath. "Medical team, enter Bay B. Confirm Celyn’s condition and escort her to a secure medical room. Keep the two men separated and transfer them to the detention compartment once they’ve been searched."

[Orders confirmed.]

The doors unlocked for authorized personnel only. Two medical units entered first, followed by security personnel equipped with additional restraints. They immediately approached Celyn, who had collapsed beside the examination bed.

One of the medical units gently supported her while another scanned her neck. "Patient is conscious. Minor abrasions detected. No critical injuries identified at this time."

Aymara watched the report appear on her screen. Relief loosened the tightness in her chest.

"That sounds good. Take care of her," she turned to Nathaniel. "Come on. I want to speak to her myself."

He smiled and released her hand only long enough to follow her toward the exit. "Anything you say, Captain."

Aymara shot him a look. "I’m not the captain."

"Of course. You’re simply the terrifying woman who controls an entire cruise ship, commands an army of machines, and makes armed men cry."

"I can make you cry, too."

Nathaniel’s smile widened. "I’d rather you kissed me but if you mean to kiss me until I cried... that’s a welcomed invitation."

Aymara nearly stumbled. Turning red all over. Unable to contain her blush and his new level of shamelessness. "Nathaniel!"

He laughed softly, looking far too pleased with himself. "Sorry. Background decoration, I remember," he gave a wink and blew her a kiss.

"You’re the most troublesome background decoration I’ve ever encountered," Aymara complained through her effort to hold down her emotions, which made her appear less scary.

"Yet... you keep me around. You must be addicted to trouble."

She had no answer to that. Worse, the smug expression on his face suggested he knew it.