Chapter 23 - The Contaminated Cargo
On a cold November morning at Port of Chicago, heavy yellow cranes loaded thousands of shipping containers onto cargo vessels.
A black unmarked container bearing a false manifest was hoisted onto the deck of The SS Atlantic Trader.
Inside the sealed container sat four steel pressure tanks equipped with electronic timer valves set to open at midnight.
In his office, David reviewed the morning shipping manifests on his desktop computer, noticing a small digital discrepancy.
"Container 8842 has no recorded customs inspection seal from the Coast Guard," David noted, calling Marcus on his line.
"Send a inspection team to Pier 44 immediately to hold that vessel from departing," David ordered.
Marcus arrived at the pier with three security officers, stepping onto the metal gangway of the massive cargo ship.
As they approached Container 8842, Marcus noticed a strange, sweet chemical odor drifting through the air vents.
May you like
"Masks up!" Marcus shouted, pulling his gas mask over his face just as the container's pressure valves hissed open.
---
