My God!' exclaimed Peace. His glance went across to me, and then to the. Remington case in MKG's hands. Better stay out of this, John.'
No,' I shouted. No! You can't-'
Peters said levelly, ' I've tried to reason with her, sir. She merely says that if anyone breaks in, she'll shoot.'
Peace took the pistol case from MKG. Eyes left their instruments as he dropped a heavy 221 Fire Ball shell on to the breech platform, tilted the barrel down, and snicked the bolt shut.
I grabbed at the heavy weapon. ' Geoffrey, you can't…!'
His eyes were blank as he turned on me. There are a hundred men whose safety depends on-' He inclined his head towards the locked door. You are only one. So is. she. Stand by!'
Peters and MKG grabbed me by the arms.
He strode over to the radio-room and raised the Reining-ton. Open!' he called. Open-or I fire!'
I found myself struggling and shouting as a voice answered from inside in the deadly quiet of the Control Centre.
Then the door flew open and Adele stood there, the Colt in her hand.
Drop it!' I yelled. 'Adele, drop it, or he'll shoot!'
She smiled and threw the Colt at Peace's feet. Ah,
Commander,' she said quietly.
I wrenched free and darted across. Peace swung the
Remington's short barrel so that it arched over both of us. Stand back!'
She said matter-of-factly to Peace, 'You saw the signal about yourself-the funeral?'
Yes.' There was no inflexion in his voice.
As soon as I read it, I guessed Tyler would think you a fake-whatever you said,' she went on. She looked across at MKG. Is that the Vice-President?'
Yes.'
I'm glad you got him out.'
Suddenly Peace dropped the barrel of the wicked-looking weapon and with his free hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close. He burst out laughing. ' By all the devilfish in Limuria!' he exclaimed. So it was you! You jammed Willowtrack to give me time!'
She laughed too, glancing a little uncertainly at me. I knew, after what you had said, that the Exec wouldn't allow me near the radio. Extreme measures were called for. So I took the pistol. Williams-is he hurt?'
No, just stunned.' He looked at her= in amazement and admiration. And I thought..
He clunked back the bolt of the Remington and spat on the tip of the shell.
She grinned. Epitaph for a spy!'
Thanks to you, we've got a start on Tyler,' Peace went on quickly. And it'll need all our brains to outsmart him.'
Suddenly he seemed to become aware of his naked torso. He grinned at her. Clothes-captain's cabin! Come on, MKG, Bob, Adele-don't just stand there, John, pick up that darned gun of hers and come!'
She smiled and hooked her arm in mine. We all went through to Peach's cabin. Peace talked from the shower 107 cubicle as he pulled on fresh clothes, handing some to MKG also. He outlined to Peters what had happened aboard Willowtrack. He re-entered the cabin, with MKG, who was silent, thoughtful.
We've got to fight this like a man with one hand tied behind his back,' Peace observed. MKG interrupted gravely, Commander, there is to be no shooting.'
Tyler is acting from the best of motives-I know that,' replied Peace. His first duty, as he sees it, is to protect the Vice-President. Now he's on our tail. But thanks to Adele, he hasn't had the opportunity to get off a message.'
It's a question of trying to out-think and out-guess him until I can get a message to the President,' began MKG. Tyler must be reassured from the highest level.'
He'll take a lot of reassurance,' said Peace grimly. ' You saw that for yourself. Not even your word, MKG, was good enough for him. Our escape won't make it easier. He is convinced we are a couple of spies who have shanghaied the
Vice-President.'
I found my voice at last. Adele still kept her arm in mine. Tyler won't-can't-shoot for fear of injuring you.'
Peters said quietly, Devastation has taken aboard an awful responsibility, sir.'
The decision is mine, Bob,' replied MKG. ' The responsibility likewise is mine. Remember that.'
Peters glowed under the strange magnetism of the man.
Aye aye, sir. Once Tyler's news gets around, we'll have a power of people against us.'
MKG smiled and turned and turned to Peace. What's in your mind-Willowtrack-wise, Commander?'
Peace found a chart from his desk and smoothed out the parchment. North-eastwards, St Brandon stretched for about
25 miles, shaped like a primitive bludgeon, narrow one end, thick the other. From Raphael, one of the few inhabited islands, Peace and I had explored the great barrier reef from an island pirogue; a wild jumble of coral-heads, racing seas and small passages amid bursting spray. A plume of foam, held fifty feet aloft by the trade wind, streamed perpetually across the eastern side of the reef-thundering, booming, drenching. Old Andre, the only fisherman Peace could induce to take us because of local superstition about the reef, had commended his soul to God at the wild sight. But we had discovered-and partially charted-an unknown inlet in the coral about five miles long and one broad. It had a seaward entrance. There was, however, nothing on ordinary 108 charts to show it existed. When he had recovered himself, old Andre assured us with a grin that this knowledge of the reef passage was as good as a pension-a fish pension, he called it-for now he knew rich fishing-grounds where no other islander dared venture.
MKG read out an annotation on the side of Peace's chart. `
No vessel dare approach this seaward face of the reef.' His eyes held the question. Peters was uneasy.
Peace replied obliquely, Our first task is to try and shake off Willowtrack.
Easy to say,' I interjected. ' Tyler's the best-'
I could see by the set line of Peace's jaw how worried he was. He replied quietly, If Tyler catches either Devastation with the Vice-President or Semitiante with Little Bear, our game is up. Semitiantes course is west of St Brandon-we're heading east. If Tyler
…' He shrugged off the thought.
Our immediate task is to lay a trail away from Semitiante and at the same time give Tyler the slip.'
Go for deep water,' suggested Peters.
Peace shook his head. In deep sea Willowtrack is certain to pick us up. We must stick to St Brandon, our best bet.
Already we're starting to get clear of ground echoes and the mush of sound which comes from the reef, which means that
Tyler can hear us. Willowtrack is faster than Devastation. All Tyler needs to do if we head deep is to sit on our tail. He won't lose us once we're a firm contact, you can lay any money. Even if Devastation flees right across the Indian Ocean at maximum depth, Tyler will stick. If I try and make a break, he's got the heels of me. If I surface, he'll surface. He will stop at nothing to get the Vice-President safely back in his hands. Everything we've done has served to confirm that we've kidnapped him.'
I ran a finger-nail up the chart showing the jagged 25 miles of St Brandon's reef. So you're going to lose him among this lot, Geoffrey?'
I'll try,' he replied.
MKG screwed up his eyes in that far-horizon way of his and spoke to Adele. Your jamming was a fine bit of work.
You see, I cannot signal the White House in my special code before a fixed time at sunset every evening. We've still about six hours to wait. Once the President knows what the situation is, he can instruct the Navy to call off Tyler.'
Why not simply radio the President now?' I asked.
MKG shook his head..` When I left, the President and I arranged that the sunset time only would be used.' He gestured towards the documents in his plastic bag. Not even the Navy knows the code. The President and I have a special preamble, just to make sure that if anyone got hold of that, it would still be recognized as bogus.'
Adele said, Let me signal the White House, in plain language, now.'