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Gray glanced toward the steps that led down to the lower hold. Kadir had been treated and retired to one of the cabins below. “According to Stamford’s account, when Mount Tambora last erupted, it was tamed by the Aboriginal people who gathered here. He wrote that it was not a small group, buthundredswho had arrived in these waters, all winging their bullroarers through the air. Plainly, even back then, with only Tambora erupting, a single bullroarer wasn’t enough to quiet it.”
Xue sighed. “Which we don’t even have any longer. The bullroarer was destroyed.”
“We don’t need it.”
Xue took a step back and sized him up. His expression clearly questioned Gray’s sanity.
Gray pointed to Xue’s pocket. “Earlier, I saw you recording Kadir’s attempt with the paddle. You should have a copy of its roar on your phone.”
Xue’s eyes got huge. He pulled out his cell phone and stared down at it.
Gray pointed to the helm. “This is a patrol boat, used for running down pirates and traffickers. There’s a huge LRAD speaker mounted on the wheelhouse for ordering boats to heel.”
Xue understood Gray’s plan. “If we feed that roar through the system—”
“We can broadcast far more than ahundredbullroarers. It would sound likethousands.”
11:21A.M.
As the final preparations were made, Seichan carried her mother into the wheelhouse. Guan-yin hung limply, barely able to hold herself upright. Her skin burned, hot enough to be felt through her clothing.
Gray met Seichan at the doorway and helped guide Guan-yin to a seat inside. He handed Seichan a set of earphones. He had found them stashed next to the radio alcove. The patrol crew must have kept them handy for their own deafening attacks on pirate ships.
“Keep these on your mother,” he said. “It’s going to get rough.”
She nodded.
He gave her a quick hug and cast a concerned look toward Guan-yin, who slumped sideways in her seat, fading away again.
“This had better work,” Seichan said, with a glance toward her mother.
And not just for the world.
“We’ll do our best.”
He turned away, but she dragged him back and kissed him. She needed to feel his lips, the taste of his breath, to feel his solidness to help ground her. She wasn’t gentle. She took what she needed. He did not object.
Once done with him, she pushed him away. “Get to work.”
He set off toward Xue and Kadir.
The plan was for their group to ride out the sonic storm inside the cabin, hoping that its armored superstructure and bulletproof windows would offer further insulation.
Gray and Xue spoke in urgent tones. They tested a few blasts, then once satisfied, Gray donned his headphones.
“Here we go!” he shouted.
Seichan made sure her mother’s ears were covered, then pressed her headphones tighter to her own skull.
Gray looked around and gave a thumbs-up to Xue. The major hit a switch on the radio console. The man’s cell phone had already been plugged into the system. As his recording played, Xue turned the volume dial. He started with a low roar, broadcast through the long-range-acoustic speaker mounted atop the wheelhouse.
Xue glanced to Gray, who nodded for him to continue.
The sound quickly escalated, growing louder and louder. Even directed outward from the speaker, the noise shook the roof. Seichan might as well not have been wearing earphones. The roar filled her skull, rattled her teeth, vibrated her ribs.
Gray checked on them again.
He waited until he got thumbs-ups from everyone, then jabbed a finger in the air.
