Peters might have given us more time'
' No,' he replied. Bob played it right-kept his yardarm clear. He gave us the maximum opportunity to get away.
He knew that once the helos and search aircraft were over151 head, he didn't stand a chance. By breaking silence this way, he stopped anyone putting the screw on him.'
' What did Peters tell Tyler about MKG?'
Bob's playing dumb, being very formal and proper. Yes, he said, there was aboard Devastation a man who corresponded to the description of Marvin K. Green, but since he'd never seen the Vice-President, he could not say.'
' Did Peters radio all this?'
He had to, in order to communicate with Tyler-they haven't been in physical touch. Think of what St Brandon reef is like with this sea and wind! Peters, by having announced himself, also puts the DNI in the clear and the British part in the mission-Peters maintains that he acted under orders to pick up an American VIP, name unknown, for secret, missile tests in the Seychelles. He knows nothing else, he states. Then, at the first opportunity when his radio has been fixed, he reveals his position and comes clean. No, Bob's been very clever.'
How did he account for our disappearance?'
Peace laughed. This is how Bob put it: the American VIP, purporting to be an expert on inertial navigation, came aboard Devastation in " unusual circumstances ". This man, together with a naval officer who went by the name Peace, disappeared with another man called Garland and a woman named Adele, whose surname he does not know. That, asserts Bob flatly, is all he knows about the whole thing. He's playing awful dumb. He's even offered Devastation to assist the Seventh Fleet!'
Is Tyler still aboard Willowtrack?'
' Yes. It's impossible to get him off in this weather for all Thornton's wishes-the second helo Thornton sent also crashed, but Tyler picked up the crew. One of them is badly smashed up. After that, even Thornton decided to play it more gently. But he'll be up with Willowtrack by morning.'
That's a respite.'
It's not. Thornton wouldn't waste a whole night.'
What do you mean?'
' He's taken Devastation as his datum point. Fanning out from her, he's launched a carrier task-force grid search.'
My God! But how do you know all this-the signals are i n c o d e -? '
He smiled grimly. ' I dragged Adele out of bed. She's been decoding for hours. I sent her back when she couldn't keep her eyes open any more.' He slapped the clip signals.
It's all there: Thornton has split the Seventh Fleet into three hunter-killer groups, each with one carrier, three nuc152 lear subs and six destroyers. And you ask me why I haven't sent off MKG's signal! Thank God for that u.s. Navy codebook, and thank God for Adele. At least I can keep track of the opposition's moves.'
Geoffrey,' I said slowly, do you really think it's worthwhile trying to play this kind of hide-and-seek? This massive force will catch up with us as soon as it's light enough to see.'
He came across and stood by me. ' While I have one card left, I go on playing the game-to the finish. You should know that, John. It's because the odds started to mount up early that I called in your help in the first place.'
At that moment, I remembered the still face in the coffin and the host of thoughts it had aroused in me. Not least among them had been Peace's unswerving loyalty-to the
DNI, to the sea. He was invoking that now; he had always been at his best when the odds were stacked against him.
He was terse, edgy. I wonder if Mac can get more out of these engines…'
He knew the answer as well as I did. ' It's not the engines, it' s the hull.'
' There's a general cyclone warning. The centre is moving rapidly from Chagos towards us.'
We have a week still to the launch.'
' I'd rather it was less. Give the cyclone three-four days to blow itself out. No cover after that.'
Don't forget, Geoffrey, the two big unknowns in Tyler's search are, first, where is the launch from? Second, where is Semittante?'
The signals indicate that Thornton has called his three HUK forces Red Force, Blue Force and Green Force,' Peace went on. They fan out from Seahorse Sound. Green will cover the southern quadrant Mauritius-Rodriguez-Reunion and along a line to the eastern coast of Madagascar. Green's no worry-he's way outside our area. Blue has been assigned everything between St Brandon and Chagos, east of the 60th parallel. That mean Saya de Malha and a lot of Devasta- tion's first route to St Brandon. There's an outside chance that one of Blue's search aircraft might pick us up. But
Blue Force is steaming and flying right into the heart of the cyclone..
I gestured beyond the spinning screens. No one can fly in this.'
Thornton's men do,' he rejoined. ' Christ! Imagine a carrier take-off on a night like this! They're in the air tonight, all right. Two aircraft have been lost already, but they rescued the crews. Thornton's flying them off, regardless.
God pity them!' I exclaimed involuntarily. The best place would be a sub.'
A sub's sonar would be ineffective in these seas-they'd damp out the sound of a ship's engines. Besides, a sub is not the most useful HUK weapon, alone. But teamed with helos or aircraft, it's deadly.
Bellatrix yawed heavily and I found myself sweating at the effort to bring her back on course.
Peace went on, I hadn't the heart to cut old Andre's cutter loose. It's his everything. Besides-' he turned away so that I would not see his feelings-' I like that bloody old boat.'
The third HUK force?' I prompted.
Red,' he replied slowly. Red force is our danger. They've been assigned the biggest bloc, but it includes us-St Brandon westwards to Madagascar and north to the Seychelles.'
Love-Apple Crossing!' I exclaimed. Semittante!'
He nodded. Thornton has put Tyler in command of Red
Force, operating from Willowtrack.'
Tyler thinks like you do, Geoffrey.'
He damn' near cornered me in Seahorse Sound.'
If Tyler's Red Force picks us up, the game is over. In some ways Bellatrix is a liability.'
He looked at me sharply and then said slowly, A liability, yes, she's made of steel, which makes her easy to pick up by radar.
' So is Semittante.'
He remained thoughtful.
When do you expect to sight Semittante?' I asked.
' Mid-afternoon today. I'll have to risk using our radar a little then. It's almost certain she won't hold her course in this weather.' He broke off suddenly. I'm going aft to make sure the tow to the cutter is secure. Maybe I'll doublelash it, even.'
When he returned, he seemed pleased about something.
Then he glanced at his watch. Adele's slept long enough.
Something important may be going on.' He jerked his head at the radio. I think it's your privilege to call her, John.'
Let her sleep,' I answered. She's dead-beat.'
No,' he rejoined. The DNI sent her to do a job and this is the time for her to do it. At this stage of things, she's worth any two of us put together.'
I went. I paused at her door, wondering whether I should knock until she awoke. Then-I pushed it open and went in.
She lay almost exactly as I had left her. I stood in the darkness, looking down on the slim person who had come, in such a short time, to mean so much in my life. The quiet 154 serenity above the high cheek-bones was as calm as the rest of her was disturbing. Worth any two of us put together 'Peace's words held a new context for me: she was worth any two other women I had ever known. In that certainty, I pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and clicked on the bedside light.
She must have been sleeping on a hair trigger, for she woke instantly, alarm in her eyes. John!' She glanced at her pyjamas and laughed. How long have you been here?'