Layla looked at her just long enough to confirm she was dead. Then the Guoanbu sniper fired again and another bullet streaked overhead. The speedboat was closing in fast. Running on instinct, Layla grabbed the tiller of the Zodiac’s outboard and gunned the engine. She saw no sign of the Athena, which had already sunk below the lake’s surface, but in the moonlight she spied at least two dozen ships to her left. Each was waiting for its turn to enter the Gatun Locks and descend to the Caribbean Sea. Together they formed a crowded flotilla. Layla steered the Zodiac sharply to the left, aiming for the Caribbean-bound ships. The sniper took another shot, and the bullet plunged into the water a few feet behind the Zodiac. Then another Guoanbu agent in the speedboat opened up with an assault rifle, but at that moment Layla reached the flotilla and zoomed behind a cruise ship. The bullets slammed into the ship’s hull, scattering the tourists on the promenade deck. Once she passed the ship, she steered around an oil tanker, and then around a racing yacht.
