“I would have offered you the step ladder,” he said.
“Training,” Gomez said. “The next time we do this, it’s for real.”
“Understood.”
Gomez’ features had gone hard again but softened as he turned to Renard. Gomez was of average build and height, but even under his camouflage, Renard saw contours of lean muscle. The SEAL extended a hand that Renard accepted.
“Gomez.”
“Renard.”
“This is Chief Petty Officer Smith.”
Smith spanned twenty percent more mass than Gomez in all directions. He turned and smiled.
“Pleased to meet you,” he said.
“Likewise,” Renard said.
Renard thought that the SEALs shifted states of mind from robotic to jovial too rapidly for him to comprehend, as if they shared a secret reality that would elude his understanding no matter how he might try to grasp it.
The knotted rope receded above Renard, and the hatch slid shut.
“Just in case,” Gomez said. “Our minisub will hold, but no sense in leaving an open hole.”
“Right,” Renard said.
“Let’s brief your tactical team and get out of here.”
In the operations room, Renard watched Gomez drawing figures on trace paper. Henri, Remy, and two younger mercenaries observed the lesson.
Gomez looked up and seemed to be holding back a grin. Some hidden energy churned within him.
“You guys are the best dressed crew I’ve ever seen. Fitted shirts, designer slacks, and Nikes. Nice.”
“We are a different breed than you are likely accustomed to,” Renard said. “But we are professionals.”
“No doubt,” Gomez said as he looked down.
“The Georgia is here and will stay ten miles ahead of the Zafar and Leviathan,” Gomez said. “The minisub is connected via command wire to the Georgia. We’re taking power from them and we have communications with them.”
“Taking power?” Henri asked.
“Yes. It helps us with propulsion and with our cutting laser. It allows us to sustain fifteen knots. We can sprint faster if we need, but it eats the battery. The wire to the Georgia can only be so thick, and that limits the power we can borrow from them.”
“Will we be in communications with you?” Henri asked.
“No. But you shouldn’t need to hear from us. After we’ve taken the Leviathan, we’ll inform the Georgia, and they’ll have other assets force the Zafar to stop. That should be the end game. If the Zafar disobeys, we’ll have Mister Renard attempt to snap the tow line by shaking the Leviathan free. Worst case, we surface the Leviathan and disconnect its tow lines, under protective fire if needed.”
“Whose protective fire?” Renard asked.
“Ours. Two sharpshooters in the sail. I’ll take two of my guys rocking in the sail against whatever the Zafar can dish up trying to stop us.”
“Where do you want us?” Henri asked.
“You’re on the right course now,” Gomez said. “But you’ll have to speed up once we’re gone. We want you on the other side than the Georgia so that any weapon the Leviathan fires doesn’t threaten the Georgia.”
“What if you fail to get aboard?” Henri asked.
The stern image cascaded over Gomez’ face.
“In that unlikely event, you’ll destroy the Leviathan with a torpedo.”
“How would we know to do so?”
“If you hear us banging on the hull of our minisub. Repeatedly. You’ll also likely hear us driving away fast, but if you don’t, don’t hesitate. We’re expendable.”
Remembering he’d be in the minisub, Renard swallowed.
“And if we fail or don’t hear you?”
“The Georgia will attempt to contact you via underwater communications. If you still don’t fire a weapon at the Leviathan after that, they will.”
“And if they fail?” Henri asked. “They are deliberately far away for their own self-preservation. Their shot landing on the Leviathan would be no guarantee.”
“Then we all drive the hell out of here and hope we don’t get caught in the weapon storm that’s going to fall from the sky. I plan on being aboard that submarine within the next three hours. But if I’m not, this patch of water is going to be a mess of every sensor and weapon in the U.S. arsenal, and you’re going to want to be sprinting in the other direction.”
Salem’s subconscious mind freed his dreams of demonic soldiers, and he had dreamt of a world of peace. But the peace was overwhelming like a cold winter void of life. As he awoke in the morning, he sensed that he was fearless but numb, as if awaiting sedated annihilation.
He ate breakfast in silence with Hamdan and Hamas soldiers who seemed to carry a newfound aura of respect. When he had finished half of his powdered eggs, he excused himself and went to the operations room where Yousif sat at a tactical monitor.
“How was your night, Ali?” he asked.
“Quiet. I believe I have read all I can about the systems that matter. I’m reading material for the third and fourth time.”
“I know, Ali. You are prepared. We all are. Get some breakfast and get some rest. I’ll take your place here.”
An hour later, Salem sat at a monitor beside a linguist who joined him after cleaning the galley. He was working through a system manual on launching and targeting Harpoon missiles when the communication unit with the Zafar chirped. Concerned, he walked to the hatch and grabbed the box.
“Leviathan here.”
“Captain?”
“Yes,” Salem said.
“This is the captain of the Zafar. We have encountered a problem.”
“What’s wrong?”
“A ship ahead of us in the transit lane has caught fire and is preparing to abandon ship.”
“Why is this a problem for us?”
“We are one of the closest ships capable of rendering assistance.”
“Let someone else help them.”
“I see only one ship on radar that is closer to the vessel than us, and they have already passed it by. I would not blame them to feign not having heard and to continue.”
“But we cannot feign not hearing because we are approaching the vessel and will see it?”
“The smoke will be visible if the ship is not.”
“So what happens?”
“The United States Coast Guard will echo the call for all vessels in the vicinity to assist. If another vessel is found that can manage, we may be released of our obligation to help.”
“What obligation is that?”
“Centuries of custom and several agreements and maritime laws.”
“Curse customs and laws. Ignore the vessel and deal with the legal issues when you arrive in New York.”
“I would, but the Coast Guard will also send aircraft to investigate, and this aircraft will have radar discerning the location of all vessels within reach of assisting. They will see us, and they will identify us by matching our location with our manifest. Then they will contact us and remind us of our obligation.”
“Curse their reminder. Tell them you have a tight schedule. Use any excuse you know to continue.”
“I could do that, but we will be passing by an area that will involve the watching eye of at least one Coast Guard aircraft. They will likely see us and our tow cable. That will arouse suspicion we cannot afford to arouse.”