“Where’s the big guy with the flattop haircut?” Durand asked, handing a fully loaded Sig-Sauer P226 to Jack by the barrel.
“If I had a dollar for every time I’ve wondered that,” was Jacks only reply. “Spare mags?”
Durand snatched a handful of spare magazines and handed them to Jack who shoved them into his pockets, regretting he hadn’t taken the time to find his tactical vest. Pockets would have to do.
“Do we have comms?” Jack directed his question to the captain.
“No. We were running silent and deep after engaging the Russian Yasen, so we had no contact with PACOM or we would have given away our position. And in here, there’s no way we’d get a signal through the concrete and ice. We’re on our own. Well… until PACOM figure out we’re MIA and send help.”
“Yasen? Those guys a up there aren’t Spetsnaz, that’s for sure. They look more like hired guns… I’ve come up against a few of them in my time. Nobody mentioned Russians…”
“We weren’t even sure they were Russians, but they got the drop on us and nearly took us out. The Yasen class is the only sub that can do that.”
“No, not you. I meant my people never mentioned Russians. What are they even doing way down here? They couldn’t be any further from Russia if they tried.”
“The Russians have an Antarctic base,” Leah offered.
“But they shouldn’t have any military firepower down here. This is a demilitarized area,” said Jack.
“Clearly.” Dave’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
“I don’t have any more idea what’s going on here than you do, my mission was to secure the U-Boat and whatever was on it. If we’re going to survive until the cavalry come and save our asses, then we’d better figure what’s going on here. If we don’t, then this Charlie Foxtrot is going to have a very bad ending.”
“Charlie Foxtrot?” asked Leah. “Can you guys not use actual words people understand?
Juan started to answer, “Clusterfu—”
Then Sam burst into the already crowded compartment, red faced and breathless.
“Miss me?” He slapped Jack on the back.
Chapter 35
“These Americans are fools”, Captain Vasili Ketov whispered to himself. There was nobody nearby to hear them, but silent running meant running silent. Why take chances? One didn’t last as long as he had in the Russian fleet by taking foolish risks.
Ketov knew his torpedoes had been lured of course by whatever decoys or countermeasures deployed by the American submarine. But that was almost expected in an age in which defense technology was constantly evolving in response to the weapons being produced by the major powers. That didn’t bother him. What did pique his curiosity was the response of the foolish Americans. Not only did they not return fire, the Kazan’s computers showed that the American submarine didn’t even lock a firing solution onto them. They simply went silent, turned and ran. Sonar hadn’t even detected the sound of their torpedo doors opening in anticipation of an engagement.
Hardly the response of an enemy planting intelligence gathering technology all over the Antarctic. The entire exchange was not aligning with the intelligence or the orders that had been transmitted to him.
Submarine commanders were granted considerably more operational latitude than their land or air counterparts simply because they were out of radio contact with their admirals during their patrols. Ketov chose to follow his instincts the minute his deadly Futlyar torpedoes were lured off target by the countermeasures. He resolved to find out what the American submarine was really doing in the region and why it had disappeared into the ice mountain.
“Fools,” he muttered again, shaking his head. They had no idea the Kazan had been following in their baffles, silently shadowing them. Patiently waiting.
If the report he had received from his sonar officer was to be trusted, things could start getting very interesting.
Gunfire and explosions.
Again, not activities suggesting the stealthy and underhanded planting of spy equipment.
What were those American cowboys doing up there?
Chapter 36
“You can stay here, but I can’t. My mission is to secure that U-Boat.” Jack addressed the others then turned to Sam, “You’re with me, like it or not.”
“Not,” Sam countered.
Jack shot him a look that made it clear now wasn’t the best time to argue.
“The rest of you are probably better off in here, waiting for PACOM to send help.”
Jameson looked concerned. “You don’t even know what the layout is out there. We barely had time for a quick reconnaissance when you, well… arrived on the scene so explosively. You don’t know how many men they have or how well armed they are.”
“Lots and very,” Jack quipped.
Jameson’s eyes pinched at the corners in confusion.
“Lots of men and very well armed.”
A puzzled look came over Leah’s face. “I’m confused.”
“About which part? Staying here in the sub out of the line of fire, or going out there to face automatic weapons or the fact that he just seems to attract gunfire wherever he goes or the fact that we’ve been ordered to protect a Nazi U-Boat,” Sam scoffed.
“No, about you. Isn’t your name Sam?”
Sam nodded.
“So why do you call him ‘Bluey’?”
Jack thought he saw Leah’s icy exterior thaw a little. She’d seemed a bit cold ever since the time machine discussion and more so after the shooting started, which was understandable. Perhaps her attempt at humor was a way of dealing with the stress.
“Don’t get him started,” Sam snapped harshly.
“You couldn’t wait to get topside a few minutes ago,” Jack pointed out to Sam.
“That’s when I thought our guys were still alive up there.”
“Wait… are you saying they’re not?” Jameson looked gravely between Jack and Sam.
“It’s highly likely they were taken out with that first round of automatic fire we heard. They weren’t warning shots, that’s for sure. It went on for too long.”
“But they weren’t even armed…” Jameson was too distressed to continue.
“These guys aren’t playing fair. Not by a long shot.” Jack placed a reassuring hand on the captain’s shoulder. “But I can tell you this, I’ll make sure they pay. That’s what I do and I’m damn good at it.” An ominous and forbidding tone fortified his words.
Chapter 37
“Alert One!”
“Alert One!”
“Alert One!”
The message blasted through the entire submarine over the 1MC address circuit, buzzing with urgency. Although the crew of the USS Indiana were certain that this Emergency Action Message would be just another update on the situation in North Korea, pulses quickened at the EAM announcement. That was what life aboard a submarine primed to launch nuclear missiles at a moment’s notice was all about.