“Not at all, Mr. Bodzin. And may I be the first to wish you a happy Independence Day.”
Bodzin had totally forgotten that it was already the Fourth of July, and he listened attentively as Kram added, “I gather that you saw the videotape of President Chapman’s swearing-in ceremony?”
“I caught a replay right before I began my last watch, sir. It was a very emotional moment.”
“That it was, for all of us,” said Kram, who pulled off his bifocals and set them down on his desk.
“Now, I know you’re tired and ready to hit the rack after your second watch of the day. So what can I help you with?”
“Sir, first off, I understand that scuttlebutt has it that this will be your last patrol with us. I wanted to personally say what a great honor it has been to have sailed with you.”
Kram grinned and shook his head in amazement.
“Why, thank you, Mr. Bodzin. And considering that I only just told the XO, COB, and Commander Gilbert that I’d be permanently leaving the Jimmy K when we get back to Norfolk, I’m impressed with your intelligence network. Is that all, son?”
“Actually, sir, it isn’t.” Bodzin took a deep breath before continuing.
“Captain, I’ve been playing that tape we made of Sierra Seven’s signature over and over. I know we didn’t get much to work with, but I was able to enhance the signal, and pulled off a decent segment both immediately before they collided with the Rhode Island and right after they took that potshot at us. I then filtered out the highs and lows, and ran it through the computer for a positive identification.”
“Don’t tell me,” interrupted Kram.
“My money says that Sierra Seven is an enhanced Russian Akula.”
“Sir,” replied Bodzin while shaking his head that this wasn’t the case, “the computer shows that there’s a ninety-seven percent probability that Sierra Seven is a U.S. Navy 6881 attack sub.
Captain, that sub had to know we were fellow Americans. Why in the world would they do such a thing?”
Benjamin Kram was unable to reply. Until all the facts were in, and the entire cast of conspirators apprehended, knowledge of the coup attempt was to be restricted on a need-to-know basis.
Even in the world’s oldest practicing democracy, some questions were better left unanswered.
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
Acknowledgments
This novel would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the following:
Donald De Line and Jordi Ross of Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, who helped generate the creative spark that got this project off the ground;
Lou Aronica and Stephen S. Power of Avon Books;
Robert Gottlieb, Matt Bialer, Alan Gasmer, and Steven H. Kram of the William Morris Agency;
Philip M. Strub, U.S. Department of Defense;
Charles “Lucky” Davis of the U.S. Air Force;
General Eugene E. Habiger, Vice Admiral Dennis A. Jones, Captain Robert Pritchard, and Captain John Kennedy of U.S. Strategic Command;
Major General John G. Meyer Jr.” Colonel Robert E. Gaylord, Colonel Mark Brzozowski, and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Breen of U.S. Army Public Affairs;
Major General Bob Flowers, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Rego, and G. Michael Warren, my hosts at Fort Leonard Wood, MO;
Brigadier General David W. Foley, Colonel Wcs Cox, and H.M. Chapman, my hosts at Fort McClellan, AL;
Captain Harold Christy and Robert Aylward of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit;
Terry Miller, Charlotte Wiggins, Ben Wyatt, Al Stevens, Jody Eberly, and Ron Asplin of the U.S. Forest Service;
Charles Jaco — my key to the Irish Wilderness;
Lieutenant Colonel Stu Pugh;
AFSOC’s Captain Ty “Monzo” Alexander;
Keith O’Leary;
Director John McGaw and Assistant Director Patrick D. Hynes of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms;
Bruce Blair, senior fellow, the Brookings Institution;
Commander Strategic Communications Wing One;
Lieutenant AA. “Flex” Plexico, USN;
The men and women of the 55th Air Wing and 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron;
And last, but definitely not least, my dearest Carol Frances, for her patient love and constant support.
To all of you, my heartfelt thanks for sharing your fascinating worlds with me and my readers!
About the Author
Novelist and screenwriter Richard P. Henrick is the author of seventeen previous best-selling books, and a recognized master of the military techno-thriller. His latest novel, Nightwatch, has been optioned by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. He co-wrote the original story for the blockbuster movie Crimson Tide, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, and wrote the popular novel of the same name that accompanied the film’s release. Mr. Henrick is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, where he still lives and works.