The black casing of the Icom transceiver vibrated against Julian Vance’s palm as the speaker hissed with white noise.
“Julian, come in!” the voice urged through the static. “This is Elena at Pier Fourteen! Captain Laminate’s barge just rammed the Marrow-09!”
“We’re taking on water at the pier!” the voice cried.
Mac Cole stopped two steps below Julian on the spiral stairs, his brass prosthetic clamp locking hard onto the safety rail.
“What did she say?” Mac asked, his eyes wide. “The tug took a hit?”
“Listen to the broadcast,” Lin Mei whispered, shining her headlamp down on the radio’s illuminated liquid crystal display.
The synthesized voice on the speaker accelerated, sharp and urgent:
“Julian, switch your dial to Channel Thirteen right now! Hold down Push-To-Talk for five seconds so Clara can lock onto your transponder! Do it now, or we lose the mooring!”
