Silent Thunder

'What?'

'Pavski.'

Hannah looked up to see a van roaring through the museum parking lot. The guard stood at his post, but his gun was drawn and at his side.

'That fool,' Kirov muttered. 'I told him-' He spoke into the walkie-talkie. 'Take cover, dammit.'

No answer from the guard.

The van bore down on the guard, showing no sign of slowing down.

'It's too late,' Kirov said.

They watched, speechless, as the guard raised his gun. Before he could fire a single shot, the van struck him. His lifeless body crumpled against the fence.

Hannah looked away. Christ almighty.

'Are all hatches secured?' Kirov asked.

'My God…'

'I need you here, Hannah. Are the hatches secured?'

She nodded. 'Yes.'

Kirov turned back to the monitor. Four men jumped from the van and rushed toward the iron gate that led to the sub's gangplank. 'Pavski and three others.' He asked curtly, 'Do you really think you can trick this computer into believing the Silent Thunder has traveled to the coordinates on those plates?'

Hannah turned to the navigation panel. 'Yes, but it's going to take time.'

'We don't have time.'

Hannah glanced at the monitor. One of Pavski's men had fired up a blowtorch and was using it on the gate.

Kirov pulled out his automatic and checked the magazine. 'He'll be through that gate in two minutes and through the hatch five minutes after that.'

'There's got to be a way that-' Hannah glanced desperately around the control panel. 'Maybe we can-' Her mind was racing. She stiffened as a thought came to her. Crazy.

Not so crazy. But, Jesus, could it work?

Kirov's gaze was narrowed on her face. 'What?'

'Let's take her out.'

Kirov went still. 'By out, you mean…'

'Out. Out to sea. It'll buy me the time I need with the computer.'

'This is a fifteen-thousand-ton attack submarine. You think that just the two of us can-'

'Yes!' She punched the security-camera switch, which offered a view of the bow, the exterior fence, at the harbor beyond. 'You take the conn, and I'll man the engine room. We'll head straight out with as much power as we can. No turns, no dives, nothing fancy. Then we'll work on the navigational computer.'

'You know Pavski will come after us.'

'I'm counting on it.' She smiled into his eyes. 'Aren't you?'

He nodded slowly. 'One last mission…'

'We can do it.'

'Once more into the breach, old girl?' Kirov said softly as he glanced around the command room.

The commander was back, Hannah thought. She could almost feel the authority, the dynamic force, the love for the sub that had driven him all those years ago. She cleared her throat. 'When you say 'old girl,' you'd better be talking to the sub.'

He didn't answer.

'She deserves one last voyage. Doesn't she, Captain?'

Kirov nodded. 'Aye. She deserves it.'

Watch out!'

Pavski pulled Koppel down as the second guard's bullets pinged against the iron gate. Pavski whirled around with his AK-47, but one of his other men blew the guard away before he could even line up his shot.

Koppel shrugged off Pavski's hands and swung the blowtorch away from his midsection. 'Be careful, dammit. You almost roasted my nuts off.' He adjusted his goggles and continued cutting through the gate.

The Silent Thunder's diesel engines rumbled louder. The water off its stern churned and foamed.

Koppel froze and looked up. 'What the hell's happening?'

Pavski began to curse in disbelief.

The steel cables snapped, whipping ferociously around Pavski and the men on the pier.

The iron mooring posts exploded from the concrete.

Then, as if awakening from a long slumber, the Silent Thunder groaned and slowly moved toward the fence separating it from the harbor.

TWENTY

Christ, they'd done it. They'd done it. They'd done it!

The movement was lumbering and sluggish, but the sub was actually moving, Hannah realized thankfully.

'Get up here, Hannah,' Kirov called. 'You can't do anything down there now that we've got the engines started.'

She was already on her way. A moment later she entered the engine room to see Kirov watching the monitor as the Silent Thunder drew close to the museum fence.

She tensed as the sub drew closer.

Closer.

Then suddenly the Silent Thunder was on top of the fence.

The sub plowed over the fence without the slightest bit of resistance!

'Hallelujah,' she murmured.

Too soon. Alarm sirens sounded deep within the submarine.

Kirov turned toward her. 'What the hell is that?'

'The museum must have installed an alarm after what happened to Conner. It's probably tied to the same power cells as the cameras and work lights.'

Kirov ran to the periscope, flipped down the handles and peered into the eyepiece. 'We should clear the harbor with no problem, but our maneuverability is extremely limited. You'd better get what you need from the navigational computer in a hurry.'

She turned to the computer. 'Are we almost finished booting up?'

'Another minute or so.'

Hurry.

Be ready.

She quickly pulled open a drawer in the command center, looked inside, and moved to the next one. Find it.

Please let it be in the next drawer. No luck. It wasn't in the next one or the drawer after that.

Kirov frowned. 'What the devil are you doing?'

'I have to find it…'

'What are you looking for?'

Thank heavens. There it was.

She finally pulled a package of Beeman's chewing gum from the drawer. 'Conner always kept a supply stashed wherever he was working.'

'Funny time to get a craving.'

'Can't stand the stuff.' She unwrapped several sticks and shoved them into her mouth.

'Well, that clears things up.' He turned toward the computer. 'Whatever you plan to do, you'd better start doing it.'