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telephone handset, flicked a button to activate the emergency PA, and closed his eyes.

Nine

    EILEEN BAKEMAN WAS curled up in the middle of the bed when her husband came back into the cabin. She had taken a handful of headache tablets and cried herself to sleep. She had missed the end of the world.
    Flynn rocked her gently by the shoulder, whispering in her ear.
    “Eileen, wake up Eileen. Something wonderful has happened.”
    She made a whimpering sound, her eyes squinted opened, she looked around, disoriented. When she saw Flynn she instinctively pulled away. He put his arm around her to reassure her.
    “We’re alive my love. You were right! It wasn’t our time to die.”
    “What do you mean, alive?” Slowly, memories of her last hour awake trickled back. “Flynn? The asteroid!” She sat bolt upright, looked at him, then flung her arms around him, hugging him tight, sobbing once again.
    “Shh. It’s okay Eileen. The asteroid couldn’t kill us. I don’t know why, but it was never going to destroy this ship.” He disengaged his wife’s arms, put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away to arms length, looked at her, beaming. “That’s why you won this cruise, so I could be here for this. Because He has one last job I must do. He chose me, of all his soldiers, for the most important mission of them all.”
    A crackle came from a speaker mounted in the ceiling, then a voice spoke. Hesitant at first, but gaining in confidence.
    “Can I have your attention please. This is Staff Captain Hollen.” A pause, the sound of a deep breath being drawn . “We have witnessed a terrible event. We all have many questions, not least of which is just how much damage the asteroid has done, and the fate of our loved ones at home. We are working to find answers, but right now our priority is the safety of everyone on board the Spirit of Arcadia. My crew are hard at work securing the ship. I ask that all passengers and crew remain calm at this most difficult time. Please return to your cabins where you will be safe. If your cabin has been damaged, make your way to the casino instead. For the time being I must ask that all outdoor decks remain closed until we have been able to fully assess the damage caused by the ash. If you are injured, you should make your way to the medical centre on deck five. Your patience will be necessary, our medical facilities, whilst excellent, are not designed for an emergency of this scale. If there are any doctors or nurses among the passengers, your assistance in treating the wounded would be very much appreciated. Once again, I urge everyone on board to remain calm. Your crew have the situation under control.”
    Flynn and Eileen stared at each other.
    “You hear that, Eileen? You hear how he spoke? ‘Under control’? Nobody says they have a situation ‘under control’ unless they are afraid of losing control. This is where it starts, right here. But I need to be smart!” He looked serious now. “Only fools rush in. I will take my time. I will not fail Him. When the time is right, I will complete his work!”

Ten

    JAKE WASN’T CONVINCED that Hollen’s message had been very effective. Everywhere he went, people were stopping him to ask him questions. In some of the bigger areas of the ship that he visited, he was virtually mobbed by crowds of passengers and crew members alike.
    “Did the world end?”
    “Are we the only people left alive?”
    “Is it true the ship is sinking?”
    “Why aren’t we moving? When are we going home?”
    This last question was the most common, and the most difficult to answer. All he could do was repeat the party line: “Everything is under control. We are in the process of securing the ship and assessing the damage. The captain will update us all in due course.”
    He did his best to try and calm people, send them to their cabins, but it was clear he was never going to win this battle. In desperation he headed back down to his cabin to change out of