“Our top ordnance man here can fix you up with whatever you need,” the admiral said. “What’s your timing?”
“Have to be at night. It’s now almost 1600. Too late for tonight. Is that cruiser Cowpens still shadowing the destroyer?”
“Yes.”
“We could use her for our launching pad,” Murdock said. “Chopper us out there and we push off at first dark. It would help if the cruiser could move in another five miles toward the destroyer just before we launch. We can go in tomorrow night. Give us all day to get set up.”
“That sounds good. I’ll order the cruiser to move in to five miles from the target tomorrow when you’re ready to launch at first dark, and I’ll get that Sea Knight authorized and ready. My ordnance man can fix you up with the rest.”
“Oh, we’ll need two IBSs. The cruiser might not have any.”
“That’s the small inflatable boats you use. I’ll get a pair flown in from somewhere. Talk with ordnance here and get this part worked out. Good luck, Commander.”
Back in their quarters at the NATO compound, the SEALs began going over their equipment. Both squads would make the trip. Two boats, four limpets, two as backup.
Heads turned as Kat Garnet walked into the room wearing a trim Navy officer’s blouse, jacket, and skirt.
Somebody whistled.
Kat grinned and waved at Murdock. “Hi, guys. I hear that I’m going to be going with you on this limpet-mine attack on the Chinese destroyer.”
14
Senior Chief Dobler looked up from where he worked on his weapon, and did a double take.
“Say what, Lieutenant? You’re going along with us on our limpet hit on the Chinese destroyer?”
“That’s what I heard,” Kat said. “Do you want to outfit me with gear or wait until it’s official?”
“If it’s all right with the lieutenant, ma’am, I think we better wait.”
Kat grinned. “That’s fine, Senior Chief. There isn’t any hurry. I’ll just talk with the guys. Sorry you got blown off that rust bucket of a freighter that turned out to be a destroyer. Do we know that for sure yet? Maybe it’s a frigate.”
“Either way we got stomped on good. We didn’t expect it, Kat. We were looking for about forty merchant seamen and a pistol and one rifle on board. We got surprised. But we were lucky to get away with just one wounded.”
“Ching. How is he?”
“He’ll make it, but he’s out of action for a couple of months, I’d think.” The chief paused. “Kat, you really hear something about going along on our limpet run?”
“Not a chance, Senior Chief,” Murdock said as he came up behind Kat. “She’s just trying to stir up some trouble. Right, Miss Dressed All Up Garnet?”
Kat laughed and tipped her head from side to side. “Well, it was a quiet day, and I’ve been bottled up over there in that funny BOQ all day and all night, and I was getting antsy. Okay?”
“Fine by me. Hey, you can come visit us anytime. Brass wants you to hang around here in case we get anymore warheads. Or if we do take down that destroyer and need to do some close disassembly work on the missiles and the warheads.”
“Admiral Tanning told me. But for now, what am I supposed to be doing? There’s that strange little PX here, but no movie theater, and no library. I’ll go crazy in a week.”
“Won’t be here a week,” Murdock said. “Things are moving too fast. Hey, this would be a good time for you to write your memoirs, My Days As a Navy SEAL. Should be good for at least a bestseller. That is, if you could get permission from the Navy to publish, which you can’t.”
“Thanks for the help,” Kat said.
“Hang around a while so I can get some things straightened out and I’ll take you to dinner.”
“Where? Some fancy Greek restaurant downtown?”
“How about the officers’ mess?”
“I was afraid of that.” She paused. “Yeah, why not?”
An hour later, Murdock picked Kat up at her BOQ. He surprised her.
“Hey, you’re dressed all up yourself,” Kat said.
He had borrowed some khakis and some insignia and wrangled a sedan and a driver who knew Athens. The driver took them to what he called one of the best restaurants in town. He had even made reservations.
It was sleek and modern and classy. Murdock felt underdressed, but enjoyed himself. He found one waiter who spoke English, and had him order for them. When the waiter left and they tasted their drinks, Kat yelped.
“Hey, I don’t have any money. I know you never carry any money on a mission. How are we going to…”
Murdock held up his hand. “I borrowed a hundred-dollar bill from Don Stroh. So don’t worry.”
“Oh, good. I have this dream every once in a while about eating a big meal at a fine restaurant and finding out I lost my billfold and my money and my credit cards. It always ends as I start explaining and the manager is calling the police.”
“Not this time. Now, about you. What have you been doing since we met like this before in Iran?”
“Working. But I’m not in disposal anymore. I’m working on how to establish a really safe nuclear waste site. It’s a big problem with all the medical hot waste and some from the military and from nuclear power plants.”
“How is it going?”
“Mostly NIMBY.”
Murdock frowned, trying to remember the word. “What?”
“Mostly the reaction is NIMBY, Not In My Back Yard. We find a great site and the local population vote it down. The government is getting more sensitive to the people’s views nowadays.”
“So how is your love life?”
“Don’t ask.”
“But you had been seeing someone.”
“None of your business.” She frowned. “How did you find out that?”
“Remember, Don Stroh is CIA. He can find out anything about anybody. The President asked him to do a screening on you before he talked to you about the Iran caper.”
“Oh, that’s what those guys were about. One man kept hanging around. He wasn’t very good if he was CIA.”
“If you saw him, you were supposed to. That way, if you had anything to hide, you might freak. You didn’t.”
“What else did Stroh find out about me?”
“Everything. I don’t remember the list. He knows what you like to eat, where your favorite restaurant is, what movies you see, your brand of toothpaste, and the color of your underwear.”
Kat laughed. “I bet the underwear was a disappointment.”
“Stroh didn’t say.”
The dinner came and they ate. Murdock didn’t have the slightest idea what kind of meat it was. He was afraid to ask. The vegetables and the salad and the dessert were all delicious.
They lingered over another bottle of wine, and Kat said she hated to leave.
“You’ll need a good night’s sleep for your jaunt tomorrow,” Murdock said.
“What? You said I wasn’t going on the mission.”
“You’re not. One of the NATO officers’ wives has arranged to take you on a sightseeing and shopping tour tomorrow. It will last all day and then you’ll go to a stage play or an opera, she wasn’t sure which.”
“Great, no money.”
Murdock shoved a new one-hundred-dollar bill across the table to her.
“You can go a little wild, because Stroh is good for another tap. He says it’s expense money, so use it in good health.”
Kat’s brown eyes glistened for a moment until she brushed away the moisture. She shook her short brown hair and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I think you guys are trying to spoil me.” She frowned. “Either that or you’re softening me up for tonight when you try to take advantage of me.”
“Nice try, SEAL. Good defensive move. An attack is always the best defense. Keep up the good work.” She stared at him, scowling. Then gradually the look eased and turned into a smile. A moment later they both laughed.