“Do we have a plan, Jack?” Everett said with hope as he continued looking for extra ammunition by checking fallen marines and sailors. The disgusting task was making him angrier by the minute.
Collins continued to watch the boats approach and the arrogant way Salkukoff stood at the bow of the lead boat as if he were George Washington crossing the Delaware. Jack remained silent, and Carl knew that when the colonel went quiet, someone was heading for a heartache. Everett knew that one way or the other, the Russian wasn’t going to get away with killing everyone who knew the secrets of phase shift.
“I suspect our colonel is going to attempt the honorable way out,” Henri said as he tossed his own empty nine millimeter away.
“Yeah, I’m for that. Any bastard that would shoot at his own people, I think, lacks trust,” Ryan said as he joined the men at the rail to watch the triumphant approach of Salkukoff. He saw Collins turn and wink. The action always made Ryan feel good about their impending doom.
Before anyone could speak, Jack’s radio crackled to life. His eyes went from the rubber boats now tying up to the gangway to his handheld. He took it and listened. The voice was low and nearly inaudible. He turned up the volume as he and the others moved away from the view of the Russians who were getting ready to board.
“Doc, is that you?”
Again, there was static. Then the faint and distant voice came across again.
“Say again, Charlie,” Jack said, and he couldn’t help but look over as Salkukoff and his men started the long climb up the gangway.
“Thousands of Wasakoo are nearing our position, over.”
“What is your location, Doc?”
“The mine; we have survivors, but we are surrounded by a hostile force. Can we get some support? Over.”
Jack lowered the radio and looked from man to man, hoping someone had an idea. Jason shook his head as he anxiously looked around him as if finding a weapon would help Jenks, Charlie, and the marines that were with them. Henri bit his lip as he angrily stewed over Salkukoff’s arrival. But he too eventually shook his head. Collins turned away and adjusted his view where he could see Compton’s Reef and the mountain at its center fifteen miles away. Too far to even reach them in time even if they had a plan. Jack was frustrated, as his ideas for rescue were rather complicated by their surrender at sea.
When Carl froze, so did the others. He suddenly started looking around, and then his eyes settled on the extreme height of the pagoda-style tower above them. He took the radio from Jack’s grasp and then started talking.
“Doc, are the marines close by?”
“They’re kind of busy setting up what defense we can mount, which isn’t much. There’s just too many of them.”
“Doc, do you have smoke? Over.”
“I don’t know what—”
Carl was getting frustrated, and he shook his head as the noise of the men pounding and slowly coming up the gangway was like the sound of a ticking time bomb in his ears.
“Smoke, yes, we have red and green smoke, over.”
“Good boy, Doc. Look, I need one of the marines to pop smoke in front of the mine’s opening in fifteen minutes exactly. Do you copy?”
“Fifteen, got it.”
“Okay, Doc, tell everyone as soon as green smoke has been popped in front of the Wasakoo advance, hunker down inside. You’ll know when. Listen to the marines and Jenks; they’ll know what’s coming. Over.”
“Got it — pop green smoke in fifteen. Ellenshaw out.”
Carl tossed the radio to Jack and then watched as Salkukoff gained the upper deck only four hundred feet away.
“Jack, you’re a ground pounder — what would you estimate the distance to the mine’s opening?”
Collins hurriedly opened his bag where he had retrieved the canvas carryall. He pulled out a small device. “A gift from Sarah — she says my eyes are getting too bad without glasses.” He tossed it to Everett, who smiled when he saw what it was.
“A laser range finder. Leave it to little Sarah to cover all your aged shortcomings,” Henri said as Jack shot him a be careful look.
“We may not have a chance, but the Doc and Jenks might,” Carl said as he turned and faced Ryan. “Grab four men and get to turret number three; you know what to do.”
“Ah, shit, you’re kidding!” Jason said as Farbeaux had just caught the drift of what the American naval captain was proposing.
Carl didn’t answer as he started for the ladder that led skyward toward the top of the command and control tower of the World War II battle cruiser.
“Hey, where are you going?” Jack asked.
Everett stopped just short of the ladder and pointed up. “Fire control directory. Ryan has to know what in the hell he’s shooting at. Jason, secure yourself and your fire team in that turret and fortify it, because it won’t take Salkukoff very long to figure out what it is we are up to. I’ll pass you fire control readings. I suspect you’ll have only three shots — don’t waste them.”
They watched as Everett started climbing the steel stairs toward the highest point of the Simbirsk, the ancient fire control directory once used by every surface ship in the world for directing fire.
“Jack, keep that ass-hat Salkukoff occupied until we make our play.”
Henri turned and faced Collins. “And just how are we supposed to do that? I mean before or after he executes us? If he had no particular qualms about killing his fellows, what chance do we have?”
“That’s what I like about you, Colonel — forever the optimist.”
“And not facing reality is what I so admire about you.”
Jack turned as he saw Salkukoff approach, and Everett vanished into the high towerlike structure at the top of the mast.
“I’ll make you a deal, Henri. No matter what happens here in the next few minutes, we seriously do that man harm before we die.”
Henri Farbeaux watched as the Russian and his commandos approached. They were disarming Russian sailors and marines. The bulk of the Royal British forces vanished with Ryan into the aft number-three turret after they had removed the foul-weather caps from the enormous muzzles of the three fifteen-inch guns.
“That will be a pleasure and, I might add, a worthwhile way to die.”
Jack only smiled as Salkukoff stepped up to them.
23
For the third time, Jenks sent an angry Charlie back into the deeper part of the mine with the children. After Ellenshaw had passed on the information from Carl to Jenks, he was then placed in charge of getting the children to safety if this plan didn’t work. The ten marines and Jenks lined the mine’s opening, preparing to fight for the time Everett needed to make whatever happen, happen.
“Twenty grenades and a thousand rounds of ammunition. Four flash bangs, two claymores, which we already laid two hundred yards downhill. One LAWs rocket. That’s all we have between us and the fish boys.”
Jenks nodded at the marine lance corporal, who delivered the bad news as gracefully and as bravely as any marine could. The master chief managed a look up and over the large rocks they had placed for defense. He saw the Wasakoo as they hesitated only a thousand yards from their position. They were confused as to what these strangers were up to. Many of them threatened to break free of their group, and every time one of them would stand to possibly charge, one of the youngest marines, a private who grew up shooting squirrels in Virginia, took it down with a cleanly placed and long-distance shot. This action, three thus far, had kept the Wasakoo hesitant about charging. But Jenks knew that the situation would soon change as soon as the enemy found out their true numbers.