If this comment bothered McGrath, he didn’t seem to show it. He looked down at some papers beneath the purview of the webcam, shuffled them. “I also found some transcriptions from Werner Heisenberg’s diaries. He was pretty prolific, but I had some of my staff scanning the entries for anything pertinent.”
“And?” Parker liked that McGrath was thorough, but his delivery was a little too slow for his tastes.
“And it looks like he visited something code named ‘Triple One’… three times… by U-boat.”
“Station One Eleven,” said Dex.
“Unbelievable,” said Commander Drabek. “So everything Bruckner said is true…”
Parker looked around the table. “None of us here are the right people to evaluate what that place might mean for scientific or military applications. We’re going to need other eyes on this site.”
Commander Drabek nodded. “I’m no scientist, but from the briefing docs, it looks like the Nazis might have been fooling around with a possible answer to our energy problems.”
“It’s vital we secure control of this facility,” said Olmstead. “Once we do that, we can get some investigative teams, military and scientific in there.”
Dex held up his index finger. “I think that’s what the bad guys are thinking, too, don’t you?”
“In a race to get there first,” said Drabek. “They’ve already got a jump on us.”
“Maybe not,” said Olmstead. “They’re facing the same problems we are. Maybe even worse.”
Parker was trying to take it all in — the implications, the logistics, the need to get the highest decision-makers into the loop.
He looked at Olmstead. “Harry, there’s not going to be time to do a lot of convincing. Either the Joint Chiefs and the President get onboard in a hurry, or this isn’t going to happen.”
“I know,” said the CTG Director. “Looks like you and me have a few conference calls to make.”
Drabek held up a hand. “Okay, our priority is to get to that site first, and secure it. But if we get there second, then what?”
Olmstead shrugged. “I don’t think we can determine our action until we know what we’re up against. We need to know the size of the enemy force, their hardware, and their intentions.”
Drabek grinned, shook his head. “If we wait for that data, we might be sitting on our hands for a long time. We’re running blind here, and we should assume it’s not about to change. I need to get an ops protocol in place so I can get my men briefed. I’m voting for ‘worst case’—the enemy is in place, in total control of the environment, and two, the enemy is formidable and will require extreme force to neutralize.”
Parker nodded. His pulse was up, and he was feeling not just the urgency of their plans, but the challenge and the excitement of being in “action” again. He’d been dulled into a stupor when they’d installed him behind the big desk. “I think we will also need to consider the stability or fragility of the site as well. Don’t forget, they left an armed nuke in there.”
Drabek shook his head. “Armed but quite probably impotent. We need some info on the viability of a device that old. My guess is it’s as dead as Hitler himself.”
“I think you’re right,” said Parker. “About the info, I mean. We need more input, and we need it fast. I have no idea how dangerous that bomb might be.”
Olmstead tapped his pencil nervously. “There’s no indication the Germans ever successfully triggered a nuke. No way to tell if that thing would’ve even worked.”
Parker didn’t want to be so dismissive. “We cannot make that assumption. I want some nuclear experts in your unit, Commander.”
“I’m counting on you getting me what I need.” Drabek looked around the table with no expression. “Personnel — as well as equipment. I need to be ready whenever the rest of you are, and that takes a little time, even for a Task Unit.”
“Assuming we get top-level clearances,” said Parker as he spread his palms down on the tabletop. “How fast can we get there?”
“From Philly?” Drabek paused, weighing the variables. “We’re talking roughly two thousand miles, Admiral. That’s a hell of a hump.”
“And we’ll need our best underwater vehicle to get under the ice shelf,” said Parker.
Drabek nodded. “If you want a full Team, I’ll need two Dragonfish.”
“I can get them,” said Parker.
Drabek looked a little surprised. “How fast?”
“I have everything we need in Portsmouth, which is fractionally better than here.” Parker paused to do a little estimating. “By the time we get to New Hampshire, the hardware will be waiting for us.”
This didn’t seem to placate Drabek. “Once we get underway, with the DSARs at full speed, we’re still looking at something like thirty-six hours.”
McCauley grimaced. “That’s a long time in close quarters for an elite attack unit.”
“I agree,” said Drabek. “Talk about losing your edge… Jesus…”
Actually, Parker had already considered this problem. “I’m going to run every logistics solution we may have, depending on the deployment of the various elements of the Atlantic Fleet. There’s a possibility we may have an LHD or a Sub Tender close enough to facilitate.”
Parker referred to an Amphibious Assault ship or a submarine support vessel, which could launch a couple of big CH-53 choppers carrying the Dragonfish as payload.
“If we do, what’s your plan?” said the SEAL Commander.
“The CH-53’s can refuel in flight, giving them unlimited range. If they can maintain 175 knots, they’d cut your transit down to less than twelve hours. Still not optimum, but far more tolerable.”
“Agreed, Admiral. I assume you’ll advise.”
Olmstead held up his pencil to get everyone’s attention. “Any chance we can get one of our hunter/killers in place to monitor the entrance to the site?”
“Good question,” said Parker. “I have it on my list, but that’s something for the JC and the Secretary to decide. All submarine data is always classified. There’s no way to know if any of our boats are close at hand unless the right people want to tell us. We put in the request and we see what happens.”
“That would make things easy — if we could park a Virginia Class by the front door.” Drabek chuckled, and everyone joined him in the tension-breaker.
“Anything else before we get started?” Parker looked around the table, and saw McCauley hold up his hand. He liked his old Master Diver, and if any of the others had anything negative to say about him being included in the operation, he would set them straight. “What do you have, Chief?”
McCauley tried to appear nonchalant as he spoke. “Well, I don’t want to sound sentimental or silly, but nobody’s mentioned we have two hostages…”
Everyone looked from McCauley to each other, wondering who should address this issue. Parker decided to take charge. “I think the rescue of the two hostages is a given, Mr. McCauley. The details of how this might be carried out will be included in the operation protocols.”
“I understand that, Admiral. But, that’s not what I meant.” McCauley paused, waiting for permission to continue.
“Go on then,” said Parker.
“Well, as I stated in my debriefing — I can’t say for sure why Chipiarelli and Captain Bruckner were abducted, but my gut says it was for information more than anything else. I think the enemy using them as bargaining chips isn’t all that likely. They want to know whatever Bruckner knows about the location of One Eleven. Beyond that, I don’t think they give a good goddamn about either one of those men.”