Meanwhile, Kalinin kept his eyes on the sky, scanning for additional helicopters. It was dark by now and the moon was obscured by clouds, so Kalinin was confident they couldn’t be detected visually. Infrared was another matter. Stone pulled out several thin, rubbery blankets, handing one each to Mendelson and Kalinin.
“Lie down and cover yourself with this,” Mendelson said. “It’ll conceal your heat signature. Stone draped a blanket over Harrison, who remained at the RHIB controls, then covered himself with another.
As Kalinin and the SEALs hid under protective blankets, the RHIB continued on at full speed, and Kalinin was surprised at how quiet the engine was. It was probably water-cooled as well to reduce its heat signature. He heard Harrison talking into a radio, connecting with another unit via a call sign, informing them that a single RHIB was returning.
61
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
In the Ministry of Defense headquarters building, General Andropov slammed his hand on the conference room control panel, terminating the videocon with Colonel Savvin. His body trembled with rage. How could they have let Kalinin slip away, much less into American hands? But it wasn’t over yet. Kalinin was being taken to an American submarine in the Black Sea. Sink the submarine and their problem would go away. He spoke into the open microphone.
“Establish a connection with Admiral Lipovsky.”
A moment later, the Russian Navy’s commander-in-chief appeared on the display.
“Admiral Lipovsky,” Andropov began. “President Kalinin is in custody of American forces who are taking him to a submarine in the Black Sea. Find that submarine and sink it.”
“Yes, General. We detected a missile launch from the Black Sea not long ago. We have three submarines nearby and are drafting orders now.”
Lipovsky added, “They may not receive their new orders immediately. If they are at periscope depth, they will receive the message as soon as it is broadcast. Otherwise, they won’t receive the order until they download the broadcast, which could be a few hours from now.”
Andropov began to fume as Lipovsky wove his web of excuses. “I don’t care about your communication issues. You have an entire fleet in the Black Sea. Secure the Turkish Straits so the American submarine cannot escape, and sink it.”
Lipovsky started to explain that much of the Fleet had been destroyed in the recent battle with the American Navy, but Andropov cut him off.
“I do not want excuses!”
“Yes, General,” Lipovsky replied. “We will sink the American submarine.”
62
B-268 VELIKIY NOVGOROD
Velikiy Novgorod, one of the newest submarines in the Russian Fleet and referred to by NATO as an Improved Kilo class, was at periscope depth recharging its batteries with its diesel engines. Captain Second Rank Jozsef Tratnyek leaned over the navigation table in the Central Command Post, examining their location on the electronic chart. Seated beside him was the Electric Navigation Party Technician, who was updating the submarine’s position using the latest satellite fix.
After reviewing the submarine’s updated position, Tratnyek turned his attention to the center of the command post, where the submarine’s Watch Officer supervised his watch section, his eyes scanning each display and the men at their consoles.
The quiet conversations were interrupted by a report from Radio. “Command Post, Communications. Request the Captain’s presence. Have received a Commanding Officer Only message.”
Tratnyek entered the Communications Post and stopped by the two printers. “Ready.”
The radioman hit the Print button and a message slid from a printer.
Tratnyek read the message, then read it again. He took it with him into the Central Command Post, addressing one of the two Messengers. “Request the First Officer’s presence in the command post.”
The senior seaman acknowledged and departed in search of the submarine’s second-in-command. A moment later, Captain Third Rank Grigory Domashev arrived. Tratnyek motioned for Domashev to join him by the navigation table, also requesting the Watch Officer’s presence. When the two men approached, Tratnyek pushed the message across the table.
“Read.”
Tratnyek waited while they read the directive. When both men looked up, he asked, “Do you have any questions?”
Both responded in the negative.
Tratnyek handed the message to the Navigation Party Technician. “Plot this position.”
The technician quickly entered the coordinates and a red X appeared on the chart.
Tratnyek ordered, “Secure snorkeling and proceed to this position at ten knots.”
The Watch Officer acknowledged, then gave the requisite orders.
“Steersman, ahead two-thirds. Left full rudder, steady course one-six-zero. Compensation Officer, secure snorkeling.”
Tratnyek waited in the Command Post as his submarine turned south and snorkeling was secured. The Watch Officer then ordered the submarine deeper, and Velikiy Novgorod tilted downward. Tratnyek’s eyes went to the chart again. They weren’t far away. At a stealthy speed of ten knots, the American submarine should be within detection range in one hour.
When Velikiy Novgorod leveled off at fifty meters, Tratnyek gave additional direction to his Watch Officer. “Man Combat Stations.”
63
THE BLACK SEA
A light rain continued to fall as the SEALs sped farther out to sea. Kalinin and the three SEALs remained under their insulated blankets during the transit, hoping to evade detection by aircraft or satellite thermal imagers. So far, there had been no sign of additional Russian forces. Aside from the low rumble of the outboard engine, the journey was quiet; neither Kalinin nor the SEALs spoke. The loss of five men no doubt weighed heavily on the remaining SEALs.
It was clear from Harrison’s reaction after he dropped Christine, that she meant something to him. Kalinin had no idea how long they had dated or the current status of their relationship, but it had been easy to discern the strong tie between them. Kalinin could only imagine what had gone through Harrison’s mind in those brief seconds before he made his decision, choosing to save his life instead of Christine’s. Kalinin felt fortunate; his position as Russia’s president had saved his life.
Stone and Mendelson moved to a sitting position, each keeping the blanket over their head and bodies. Kalinin did the same, then moved forward, stopping beside Harrison. The SEAL glanced at him, then returned to a forward gaze.
Kalinin was unsure where to begin, then decided to start with a thank-you. “Lieutenant Harrison. I want to thank you for saving my life. I can tell it was a difficult decision.”
Harrison gave no indication he heard him.
Kalinin added, “The cliff was steep and the river swollen. It’s possible Christine landed in the water and not on the rocks.” He didn’t offer his thoughts on her odds of survival, though.
Instead of responding, Harrison checked their position on the GPS display, then idled the engine. As the RHIB slowed, he activated a green glow stick, which he attached to the bow. The RHIB eventually glided to a halt, bobbing in the waves atop the dark water.
A submarine periscope materialized out of the darkness, approaching the RHIB from ahead. The periscope slowed, passing by the SEAL boat a few meters before coasting to a halt.
Mendelson approached Kalinin, handing him a set of scuba gear. “Do you need help?”
“I can manage,” Kalinin answered, “except for the right fin.”
Mendelson replied, “Don’t worry about either one.”