A Ravel of Waters

'You've got to get from Jetwind to the pinnace. How?' Tideman resumed. 'By boat? Their automatics would cut you and the boat in half before you got clear of the ship. Also, the pinnace is within range of the AK-47 rifles the new guards have — they have the power, even if the UZIs don't. Forget it, Peter.'

'I wasn't thinking of using a boat, and besides they wouldn't dare shoot because of the danger of an explosion.'

‘Please, Peter, this is just talking!' Kay said agitatedly. 'It's simply killing time. Listen to John's advice — forget it.'

I went on. 'I need you two to win control of the bridge for as long as it will take me to climb up to Jetwind's topgallant masts. We'll work out the precise time. Then — ' I addressed Tideman' -1 want you to fire the chicken button on the bridge and blast away Number Two top-gallant mast directly overhead.' 'Ring charges — the ultimate emergency!' he exclaimed.

'That's it,' I replied. 'The ultimate emergency. Those charges are meant to blow away Jetwind’s top-hamper if ever she went over on her beam-ends in a storm. I intend using them for another type of emergency.'

Kay looked horrified. 'And you — where will you be, Peter?'

'Inside the crow's nest — above the site of the charges. The detonations will project the mast and me clear of the ship — the same principle as a pilot's ejector seat. The way the ship's head is lying at present and the direction of the wind will pitch the mast towards the pinnace. The mast is hollow so it'll float for a while. I'll reach the pinnace from it — you know my plan from that point onwards.'

'You'll be killed!' protested Kay. 'The blast inside the confined space will kill you!'

'Self-destruct charges like that are precisely calibrated to do their job and their job only,' I answered. 'In this case, it's to chop off the mast at a given point and throw it clear. The force of the explosion will be directed outward, not inward where I will be. The structure of the crow's nest in itself will be an additional protection.'

'This is plain crazy!' went on Kay. 'I won't let you do it, Peter! No experiments were ever carried out to establish how far the masts would be thrown by the ring charges. It's designed purely as a last-throw emergency!' 'I'll have to take the risk, Kay.'

'I'd like to hear what else you have in mind, Peter,' said Tideman speculatively. 'Before you do so, however, you might remember something else — the sea temperature, especially close to Trolltunga, is close to freezing point. You won't survive for more than a couple of minutes in it after the mast blast-off, even if the rest of your plan succeeds.'

'Deal another round of cards,' I told him. 'Don't either of you look up in surprise when I speak. The next step in my scheme is probably the most crucial of all. It's the way I aim to break out of the sick-bay.'

Kay gathered up the cards like a sleep-walker. Tideman dealt.

'In the sick-bay there's that anti-exposure survival suit for inspecting Jetwind's drop keels and underwater propeller nacelle. We moved it into the cubicle next to Kay's — it's hanging there still. That's what I intend to wear to overcome the problem of the near-freezing water.'

Tideman gave a silent whistle through his teeth. 'You half convince me, man!'

'The anti-exposure visor will protect my face and eyes against flash from the ring charges,' I continued. 'The suit is foam-lined, which will help give me a soft landing when the mast hits the water. I'll swim from the floating mast to the pinnace, fuse the charges, and send the boat on its way to the fleet. Then I can swim back to Jetwind in safety — it's not far.'

'It might just work, Peter — it just could work!' Tideman's sceptical questioning had changed to a vibrant, excited undertone.

'We must be careful not to betray ourselves to the guard by any action or gesture,' I warned.

'He's the joker in the pack.' There was a near-sob in Kay's voice. 'We can't get past him.'

'We can,' I said. 'This is how. Again, the survival suit is the key. I've often accompanied you to your cubicle, Kay. The guard is accustomed to it. Now — as soon as we've finished this discussion, you and I will go there. John will stay here, pretending to be listening to the radio. There's only a curtain between your cubicle and the empty one. We slip next door. You help me into the survival suit. It takes less than a minute, you said, John. Back you go into your cubicle, Kay. Then, after a while, you join John at the radio. I'll be missing. After a time the guard is certain to wonder about me. You can leave your cubicle's outer curtain drawn so he can see for himself that I'm not there. The idea is to draw him into the sick-bay.'

'Where will you be all this time?' asked Kay in an anguished tone.

'Where the survival suit always hangs — up against Number Two cubicle wall,' I said. 'Arms outstretched, just like a suit on a hanger.'

'The guard will see your face — he must!' protested Kay.

'No. Before you leave you will pull the helmet right down over the visor, which normally leaves only the nose and eyes visible. It will restrict my range of vision, but I can't help that. In addition, I'll hang my head. The rest of the suit is so shapeless that the guard won't suspect that it's occupied.' 'Then?' Tideman demanded.

'I'll want your slide-rule dagger,' I said as matter of factly as a man can when thinking of a sudden knife-thrust to an unsuspecting victim's heart. 'The suit is unwieldy so I'll have only one chance to finish the guard in the cubicle. After that it's up to you to grab his automatic and cope with him further, if necessary.'

'Any chance shots will bring the rest of the gang at the double,' said Tideman. 'Action must be silent at that stage.'

Kay shuddered and glanced involuntarily at the sentry. He was staring the other way, probably yearning for a smoke.

'I won't be able to move fast in the survival suit,' I continued. 'John, you've got to take the bridge guard by surprise. You must keep control while I get up aloft to the top-gallant mast.’

'This is not going to work’ said Kay emphatically. 'You're both assuming that the bridge is the only place which is occupied by the gang. With the reinforcements Grohman brought there are now three Group Condors in the stern keeping watch over the crew. There's another in the engine room. Then there's Grohman himself — where will he be? As soon as shooting starts on the bridge, the gang will converge on it. John against — how many? He won't stand a chance.'

I had earlier realized the discrepancy of forces involved. I had rather pushed the risk to one side when thinking through the logistics and split-second timing of the operation. 'That's part of the risk…' I started, but she stopped me. 'The odds are too long for success.' 'What do you suggest?* I asked. 'I'll give you a more sporting chance.' ‘You, Kay?’ 'I want to rush the bridge with John.' I was about to protest, but Tideman interjected. ‘I agree.'

'While John is… accounting… for the guard, I'll make for the hydraulics control panel…' 'Kay,' I said impatiently, 'the hydraulics can come later.'

Kay's eyes were bright. She went on. 'Let's run over the position of various members of the gang — three in the stern, one in the engine room, another on the bridge, and finally our sick-bay guard. Grohman could be anywhere, but let's assume he will be in your cabin, Peter, when our attack goes in.'

'At the slightest sound of trouble he'll be out like a rocket — plus UZI,' I remarked.

'I intended stopping all of them from getting into orbit, like a rocket or anything else,' she said.

'What's in your mind?' demanded Tideman incredulously.

'Jetwind is practically unsinkable,' she replied. 'She has the most elaborate system of watertight bulkheads in case of damage — bridge, stern, engine room, the accommodation, the hull 'The hull's in no danger!' I exclaimed.