“Call our ASR crew in. Have them standing by” The suggestion took Reid momentarily aback, even though he’d had the same thought himself. Just now the ASR 21 Pigeon was in port from her support mission on LOOKUP.
She was designed for submarine rescue. “Will do, Admiral” he said.
“Anything comes up, Ken, anything at all, call me enroute. I should be there within fifteen minutes”
“Yes, sir” Reid said and he hung up. Back in the communications center he scratched out a quick message and handed it to Sally for transmission. He had marked it with the Z designator for a flash message. If nothing else it certainly would get Webb’s attention.
Z280417ZJUL TOP SECRET FM: COMSUBMED TO: USS INDIANAPOLIS
A. MOST URGENT YOU IMMEDIATELY REPORT YOUR STATUS.
B. ORION P-3C ENROUTE YOUR POSITION.
TALK TO ME, JD. KENNY SENDS. xx EOM 280418ZJUL BREAKBREAK
Reid picked up the phone and called Lieutenant Commander Morris Segal, the on-duty Air Operations Officer. “Morris, this is Ken. I want you to send that Orion up now. I I “No word yet”
“Not a peep. Delugio is on his way in. He says to have your people report back, but that they’re to stand by on station only if there is an indication that Webb might be in some sort of trouble”
“You got it”
Segal said. “But it won’t be light for another couple of hours yet, won’t be able to do much until then”
“I know” Reid said. “We’ve got the Pigeon standing by, just in case “
“Jesus” Segal said. “That bad”
“I haven’t a clue, Morris. I just hope to Christ we won’t be needing her”
Kurshin had just dragged the body out of the reactor auxiliary control room when he heard the distinctive metal clang of the after hatch being closed. Pulling out his pistol he stepped through the hatch into the machinery spaces forward of the reactor, and held up in the shadows. After a second or two he could hear them coming forward.
Their voices were hushed, almost subdued, yet he could hear their excitement. An act of this sort would be totally unprecedented, Baranov had warned him.
“There will be no room for err-or, Arkasha. No room”
to Yes, Comrade General” he’d replied. “I have no wish take a one-way ride”
“No” Baranov had smiled. “I have other great things for you. Do not fail me” Captain First Rank Makayev stepped through the hatch. Kurshin moved forward, placing the barrel of his pistol against the man’s temple before he could react. “The code” Kurshin said softly. Makayev shrugged away from the gun and looked into Kurshin’s eyes. “That freighter was right on our ass, Colonel. So unless you want to serve her crew tea and blinis you’d better let us get to work” There weren’t many men whom Kurshin admired, but he was beginning to like Makayev already. He lowered his gun, switched the safety to the on position, and holstered it. “The after hatch is sealed” Makayev grinned. “There are no screen doors on a submarine. How about forward”
“The boat is ours, and ready to go”
“Then let’s get the hell out of here” Makayev said. He turned back to his crew. “Aleksei, get started with your baby. I want her ready to go within the hour, just in case we have to bail out”
“Yes, Comrade Captain” his missile man snapped. He turned to his starpom (executive officer) and sonar man.
“Gennadi, take Aleksandr forward, get him set up on sonar, and then check the board for diving status” They brushed past Kurshin and hurried forward to the control room, leaving only the nuclear engineer, Captain Second Rank Ivan Pavlovich Abalakin. “You’re our most important crewman, Ivan Pavlovich” Makayev said. “Think you can handle this monster”
Abalakin shrugged and smiled, though it was clear he was extremely nervous. “I have studied the systems, Comrade Captain. The Americans have designed most of their controls to work on automatic function. I will manage”
“Good” Makayev said, clapping him on the shoulder. “We shall keep the ship’s comms open at all times. We will talk to each other” Abalakin turned and went into the reactor auxiliary control room, and Makayev and Kurshin started forward. “Have you ever steered a submarine, Comrade Colonel” the captain asked. “No, but I’ve been aboard one of our Alfa-class boats” Kurshin said. “Ah, she is a good boat, but much smaller than this one, and cruder too, I think. But this morning you will be our helmsman. I hope your hand is steady”
Passing the sonar room, Lieutenant Rama had already donned the earphones and was fiddling with the controls on the center console. “Watch that freighter, Aleksandr Ivanovich, and anything else in our vicinity”
Makayev said. The kid looked up and nodded. Makayev’s starpom, Captain Second Rank Gennadi Gavrilovich Fedorenko, was busy at work when they entered the control room. “How does it look, Gennadi”
“The information we were provided was good, Niki. Very good. She’s not so different from our boats. Same board”
“Status”
“All green, we’re ready to dive” Fedorenko said, his eyes shining.
Makayev studied the control room’s layout for just a moment, then motioned Kurshin toward the helm. “Just like driving an airplane, Comrade Colonel. Turn the wheel right and we go right. Push it forward and we go down. Make only small motions”
He hit the ship’s comms. “Prepare to dive the boat. Ivan, how do we look”
“Ready to give you turns for maximum speed, Captain”
“Stand by” Makayev said. “Aleksandr, what’s our friend doing out there”
“I put him at eight thousand meters” the sonarman said. “Nothing else in our vicinity” Makayev turned to his starpom. “Dive the boat, Gennadi.
Take us to one hundred meters, on a course of two-zero-five”
“Aye, Skipper”
“I’m ringing for one-fourth forward” Makayev said. “Colonel, push your wheel forward, to five degrees down planes The indicator is just over your head”
CPO Sally Powell suddenly sat forward and flipped a couple of switches on her console. Reid stood on the balcony just behind her.
“We’ve lost the downlink with Indianapolisshe called out.
Reid stepped forward, gripping the rail so hard his knuckles turned white. “Has she submerged”
“I don’t know” she said, looking up at him.
“We’ve just lost her”
They lay in each other’s arms watching the sun rise outside their hotel window. The last few days had been like a dream, unreal, events moving around them as if they did not exist in the world. McGarvey turned to look at her. She had let her hair down and it spilled across her pillow, framing her delicate face and neck. Her breasts rose and fell with each breath, the nipples still hard from their lovemaking.
“It’s almost time to get ready” he said softly. She looked at him, then reached out and touched his lips with her fingertips, a wan smile barely creasing her mouth. “I know”
“They’ve set up a safehouse for you outside of San Francisco. I want you to go there”
“There’s someone I have to see in Washington first”
“The general”
She nodded. “He won’t tell you anything about me”
“I don’t expect he will, but that won’t stop me from asking” Her eyes opened a little wider and she propped herself up on her side. “It’s the Russian. He got away and you’re going after him. That’s it, isn’t it”
“Don’t do this Just tell me that much, Kirk, please. I deserve it”
She laid a hand on his chest. “I promise I won’t make any trouble. I’ll go out to California and wait. For however long it takes” He disengaged himself from her, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and got up.
