'No, I'm Sensitive Personnel. I'm SPAM-that's what I've been trying to tell you. That's why I'm here. Otherwise, I would've shipped out with the rest of the board a week ago.'
'Whattaya mean, you're SPAM?' Cowper squawked.
'I mean I have been designated essential to the mission-Coombs is required to deliver me at all costs.'
'Deliver you where? Why?'
'That I don't know. But it gives you guys a pretty sweet bargaining chip, doesn't it?'
'He's lying,' said one of the other men threateningly. 'He's just trying to save his friggin' neck.'
'Give me a little credit, will you? I wouldn't lie about something that you can verify so easily. Ask Admiral Coombs.'
'Admiral Coombs,' Cowper scoffed. 'That would be fine if he'd talk to us. The maneuvering watch won't answer our hails.'
Albemarle said, 'He's up there, and we're down here. That's the problem.'
'Just because he won't talk doesn't mean he won't listen, Ed.' Sandoval pointed to the top of the sail. 'How about I let them know I'm here?'
Cowper rubbed his chin, said, 'Go ahead.'
'Topside watch!' he shouted weakly. 'This is for Commander Coombs! Harvey, it's James Sandoval, requesting to come aboard! I made it! Harvey! Admiral Coombs!'
There was no reply. He tried several more times, straining harder with each effort, but the tower appeared to be deserted. Concerned muttering broke out among the bystanders.
'I don't think there's anybody up there,' Sandoval said finally, discouraged.
'How can there be nobody up there?' demanded Cowper. 'We're in the goddamn channel! Somebody's gotta be piloting this thing!'
Sandoval shrugged helplessly. 'I know. I don't understand it.'
'Maybe they're piloting by scope,' a boy offered.
'And maybe we don't need no cockeyed opinions from the peanut gallery,' Albemarle barked. To Cowper, he said, 'Look, this bastard's just stalling for time. He'll say anything to keep us off him until Coombs gets things under control. SPAM my ass. For all we know-'
He was cut off by a falling body that slammed him to the deck. Two more followed in quick succession, plunging into the sea.
'Heads up!' Cowper shouted, pinning me flat against the tower. Other men followed suit, keeping the crowd back, but there didn't seem to be any more jumpers, and after a moment everyone rushed in to help Albemarle and the fallen man.
Albemarle was groggy, but the new man was wide-awake. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit with gold dolphins stitched over the left breast pocket. Over the right pocket was his name: COOMBS.
'Xombies,' he gasped. 'Xombies on board.'
'They're spreading down there like weasels, snatching men right and left,' the commander babbled. He was a trim, swarthy man with a hawk nose and short, dense hair like Velcro. 'So fast, so fast, there's no time to think. They suck the life out of you, you know that? Put their filthy mouth on yours and-' He shuddered violently. 'Then you're one of them.'
'Easy there, Skipper,' said Cowper. 'How much of the boat have they got? Where are they?'
'Wardroom-must've started in the wardroom with the injured. Yeah, one of those Marines who cracked his head, had to be.' His eyes were glazed, feverish. 'I'm on the bridge, and all hell breaks loose-Montoya's screaming in the phone for armed support, the general alarm starts going off-I don't know what the hell's happening. I drop down to Control, and there's nobody there! Kranuski's on the com yelling to secure the forward bulkhead, and all of a sudden Stanaman comes running in from Operations like he can't breathe, blue in the face, and just before he reaches me, Baker and Lee come flying across the console and take him down, wham! I thought they killed him, but he's fighting back like a damn wildcat, and Lee yells, 'Get out, Cap! Up top!' Just as I'm thinking, Xombies! here come Tim Shaye and Cready after me like a couple of damn ghouls, and there's nowhere to go but up. They're right on my ass the whole way-I never climbed so fast in my life.' He glanced around in fear. 'Where the hell'd they go?'
'Into the drink.'
'Thank Christ for that.' Coombs suddenly became alert, listening, and we all felt it, too: a queasy change in velocity. We were slowing down. It seemed to bring him to his senses. 'Oh my Lord,' he said. 'Cowper! I have to get down there!'
Cowper just stood up in disgust. The dreadful news that Exes were in the sub swamped everything-after what we'd been through, it was the final cosmic straw, our great escape debunked. There was no weeping or wailing, just helpless incomprehension. Limbo. Then Albemarle started laughing. For a long moment, his lone cackle was a kite in the void.
Finally, he said, 'Join the club.'
'How many men are down there?' Cowper asked.
Coombs hesitated, and Sandoval said, 'Forty-two. Just the NavSea team.'
This caused a rustle of amazement-I gathered it was a shockingly low number. Later, I would learn that it was less than a third of the normal crew complement.
'That's privileged information,' Coombs retorted. He squinted in the dark, noticing Sandoval for the first time. Sandoval shook his head as if to say, Don't ask.
'And you couldn't fit these kids in?' Cowper asked. 'Jesus H. Christ.'
Coombs began to reply, 'Since when do I have to justify my orders-' but was interrupted by yelling from the stern. I could hear, 'Stand clear, stand clear!' over a lot of nervous chatter. There was a heavy clunk.
Coombs said, 'Missile compartment hatch,' and began shoving his way through the crowd, followed by Cowper and others.
Meanwhile, someone new was coming forward, demanding, 'Who's in charge up here? Where's Fred Cowper?' The parties met in the middle, and the new man-an officious-looking crew-cut type-seemed relieved to find Coombs.
'Commander! You're safe! We thought everyone forward amidships was gone!' He raised a walkie-talkie, and said, 'Found the CO unharmed, over.' The reply was a crackling garble.
'What's the status, Rich?' Coombs asked impatiently. He seemed embarrassed to be found.
'Yes, sir-well, we secured the forward bulkhead, and it looks like everything aft of the CCSM is clear. I ordered all stop and station-keeping, and the men are rigging for auxiliary control right now. It's a miracle we're not aground, but that could change when the tide goes out. I don't think anyone but Mr. Robles and I made it aft, and no one's reporting from anywhere in the forward section now. No one made it out with you, did they?'
'No.'
The other man lowered his voice, ill at ease sharing this information with us. 'Then that's twelve officers missing,' he said.
'All right,' said Coombs, nodding furiously. 'Well, we have to get back in there. Assemble a team, and we'll do an armed sweep.'
'But that's the problem, we-' He caught himself, eyeing us suspiciously as he amended, 'I'll talk to you below.'
'Speak up, Lieutenant,' Coombs said with resignation. 'You might as well forget OPSEC. We're all in the same boat, so to speak.'
'Okay then, we can't spare the men. They're spread too thin to run the boat and fight at the same time, and we sure as hell can't afford to lose any more.'
'I wish we had a choice.'
Cowper stepped forward. 'Don't stand on ceremony, Mr. Kranuski,' he said, offering the man a handshake. It was ignored.
'You dirty traitor,' Kranuski said softly, eyes burning with loathing. 'I hope you're happy.'
'I'll be happy when these kids are all below drinking bug juice. Until then, I'm just trying to survive, Rich. But there's no reason our survival should be incompatible with your mission. In fact, I think it's safe to say that at this point you need us as much as we need you.'
