“Okay.”
“Well, now we are in the middle of the road. As you know the device had a mercury switch designed to detonate when the package is tilted. The mercury is very sensitive, but I felt I could work on it gently as long as I did not tilt the package.”
“Understood… go on.”
“Mercury can be held by a magnet. I used the x-ray picture to determine where the mercury switch was located. Then I taped a strong magnet next to it, and just under to hold the mercury in place. The idea being that it will not flow and make contact to complete the circuit as long as the magnet is there.”
Now the other members of the det were grinning. They were impressed by the lieutenant’s enthusiasm and there was a small bit of pride.
“Interesting, Lieutenant,” Potter said rubbing his chin.
“Next I rigged for remote pull.”
Now it was fully hitting Potter. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, Chief. Excuse my pun, but I’m trying to satisfy two Masters. I’m not gonna apply heat, shock or friction, but I’m also taking my action remotely. Worse case it detonates while I’m here in the CP.”
“LT, this is a first. Well, go ahead and let’er rip.”
Jazz got behind the driver’s seat and nodded to Denke.
Denke keyed his radio. “All stations this is the CP. FIRE IN THE HOLE! FIRE IN THE HOLE! FIRE IN THE HOLE!”
He nodded back to Jazz who stepped on the gas.
It went as planned. Downrange, Yurwitz shook his head in disbelief and spoke to himself. “Hooya, Lieutenant.”
Then he spoke into the comm box. “CP, downrange. This is Petty Officer Yurwitz. I want all hands to come down range and see this.”
Jazz stripped off the bomb suit. He dumped it into the back of the HUMMVEE. Quinn jumped in beside him. They followed the dually and were followed by the instructors in the other HUMMVEE.
All the men hopped out and headed for Yurwitz standing in the middle of the road next to the bag. The “politician’s” car was a few feet away with the passenger door opened. It was clear that they were successful.
Keating clapped Jazz on the back. He had a huge grin.
“Good work, LT.”
“Holy shit!” exclaimed Sinclair. “I’ve never seen this done before. You ever seen anything like this, Dee?”
“Nah,” responded Delgado. “LT, you must gotta ten inch dick.”
“No kidding…” chimed in Ash, “and a monster set of jimmies.”
“Okay! Circle up here guys!” called Potter.
The men formed a circle around the bag.
Potter spoke again. “HT1, your assessment.”
“I’ve never seen it done this way. This problem by the way gentlemen is designed to create exactly the conflict that Chief Potter told me on the radio that you had in the CP. Dearmer versus hand opening. One philosophy says never, never, never hand open, unless the device is ticking and is strapped to your grandma’s girdle. This thought process leads one to try to remote dearmer. The downside is that detonation often occurs, and while nobody gets hurt… you have not really helped much have you?
“The other philosophy says, render fucking shit safe, right?” Yurwitz continued. “It is not ticking, we have all day… cut the blue wire. The problem naturally is, ‘Who has the steady hands to defeat a merc switch?’
“Well… leave it to an 1140… too dumb to know better or too arrogant to listen to anyone. LT, you outwitted a merc switch. Frankly, I’m impressed. The device did not function, it is out of the car. Now we can drive the vehicle away and blow in place. I call this day a success, one for the books. Hooya, LT. You have once again demonstrated the value of having a slick bomb on the team. Basic Techs gents, do not have bad habits, they think out of the box.”
“Hooya, LT,” said Keating. “Well done.”
“Okay guys. Clean up, it is beer thirty,” said Chief Potter.
Jazz started to help the others put equipment away until Denke called him.
“LT.”
“Yes, Senior Chief.”
“Bring your book here.”
Jazz ran like an excited schoolboy to the dually and grabbed his PQS book. As he handed it to Denke he noticed him putting a wad of dip in his mouth. He worked it into his cheek as Jazz handed his book over. He sensed approval from Denke.
The senior chief sent fresh tobacco spittle into the sand. He looked at Jazz a moment studying him as if he were seeing something new. Then he handed the officer his book back.
“Lieutenant, I think you’ll do,” he said.
Jazz looked to his PQS book. Denke had signed all four line items.
Long after sundown Det Four was in a bar on Shore Drive frequented by EOD Techs. Most of the patrons had either a crab tattoo, an EOD hat cocked back on his head, or both. Many of the women were second wives. One even had a shirt that read “EOD, EveryOne Drinks, EveryOne’s Divorced.”
Det Four consumed pitchers of beer and platters of chicken wings. Throughout the evening they were approached by several old shipmates, classmates, and teammates. Ashland, T-Ball, and Denke were especially well received; Denke, because he was about to leave Mobile Unit Two for good, Ash and Ball since they had recently left. Some even complimented Jazz when introduced. Apparently, word of his performance a few hours before had traveled fast. Jazz even received accolades from Lieutenant Commander Massie, the executive officer while he was at NAVSCOLEOD.
“Good work, Jazz,” he said. “Show ‘em how 1140s do it.”
Jazz noted as Det Four piled in the truck that nobody strayed. Once or twice someone in the group got up to talk to an old shipmate, but they always returned. He expected one of the guys to hook up with a chick or stay out drinking with an old dive buddy. None did. They came as a det, they drank as a det, they left as a det.
He listened to the banter of his teammates on the drive back to the base. They were definitely coming together. Still, Jazz knew that he needed to close ranks with Denke and Keating.
Jeannie decided to like Melanie Jascinski. They had a lot in common. They were the same age, had children of the same age, and their husbands both defused bombs underwater.
Their friendship was sealed with a simple act of kindness. Jeannie felt a little strange asking her husband’s boss’ wife to baby-sit, but Mel had offered several times. She even considered hanging up while Mel’s phone was ringing.
“Mel, can I ask a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Can you watch my kids for an hour or so while I get the brakes repaired on my mini-van?”
“I’ll go one better, why don’t I drive you there? We’ll drop off your car, go to the pool, have lunch, and pick up the van later. This way you don’t have to wait around watching a black and white television while your car is fixed.”
Since then they spent a lot of time together. They got along with the other wives, but they all worked or had older children. Jeannie and Melanie became each other’s support system while their husbands were gone. They formed a bond that would last through their husbands’ deployment.
Jeannie and Melanie developed a daily routine. The day started dropping the eldest kids off at kindergarten. They alternated spending the day at the Jascinski or Ball residence. They spent their mornings sipping tea while the younger children played. After lunch the toddlers were put down for a nap. The “hostess” tended the children while the “guest” performed tasks easier accomplished without children, like negotiating the cereal aisle at the grocery store.
One morning Melanie said, “I think I’m going to fly up to see Jazz.”
“Really? Are you going to surprise him?”
“No, we’ve already talked about it… after the new baby, the new assignment… we seem to be going in different directions. I think we both realized that we need some time together before the upcoming deployment.”