Leo checked the ship’s primary digital radio system to see if a rescue had been organized. A red error light was glowing steadily on the dashboard. The same electrical short-circuit that caused the fake sinking alarm had fried the digital radio antenna mid-transmission. The captain had pressed the emergency button, but the signal was cut off before it could send the ship’s coordinates. To the outside world, the Albatross had simply gone silent. The Coast Guard had no idea where they were.
However, Leo noticed a dusty, old-school backup analog radio sitting on a lower shelf, connected to an independent emergency battery. He reached out and flicked the power switch on the backup unit. It hummed to life, a low, healthy static filling the room. The radio was fully functional. The panicked crew had rushed to the lifeboats without checking their secondary gear.