The captain said he did not know where the general was. The next question was about how many men were in the invasion force. The captain said they had 180 men.
“Now, Ching, find out where the jail is where the Russian military is kept locked up.” Again the answer came quickly.
Murdock had the headquarters searched. They found Russian handheld radios like walkie-talkies.
“Bring one with us, we might be able to use it later,” Murdock said. “Right now, let’s get over to that jail and free the Russians.
They can take over control of the headquarters here, and maybe lead us to some of the outposts.”
Ed Dewitt and two of his men remained behind to keep control of the headquarters, and to capture any more returning men. Murdock moved out with the Japanese captain to show them the way to the jail.
They found it five minutes later. It was a large warehouse that had been used to hold crab meat. Murdock saw three guards patrolling outside. Ching asked how many guards were inside, and the captain said none. Murdock gave the word, and the three guards were shot with the EARs and collapsed.
Murdock and his men ran forward, found the locked doors, and opened them. Ching went to the door and talked with the ranking Russian officer, a major, and quickly the men in the jail were released.
However, Ching told them they would soon be able to go back to the military headquarters building, but they could not use deadly weapons against the Japanese.
“Why not?” the major asked Ching. “They killed four of my men.”
Ching translated for Murdock. Murdock spoke strongly, and the Russian heard the translation.
“We are here to free you, but restrict your activity until the last of the Japanese are gone. That’s our job. Your job is to hold the central headquarters and capture any Japanese who report there. Do so bloodlessly. Understood?”
At last the Russian grinned. He looked at the unconscious Japanese guards and asked how they’d done it. Ching explained it to him, and the Russian major was amazed.
“Now, that bay outpost,” Murdock said. “Time we move down there and see if we can bag General Nishikawa.”
As he said it they heard rifle shots, then some automatic weapons.
“Sounds like it’s coming from the military headquarters building,” Lam said.
“Let’s move it,” Murdock said. “Ed Dewitt and his men must be in trouble.”
22
The SEALs ran flat out from the temporary Russian prison toward the military headquarters four blocks away. Lam outran the rest of them.
The Russian military troops came along lagging to the rear.
Lam edged around the last building before he came to the headquarters, and spotted ten to twelve soldiers. They were behind the trucks and firing at the HQ front door and windows. Lam flipped down his NVG, and studied the dim greenish view.
“Twelve of them, Skipper,” Lam said. “Behind those trucks.”
“Use your EARS,” Murdock said to his lip mike. “No time to ration our shots. Grab a target and fire.”
Lam got off two shots before the last of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force men crumpled to the ground unconscious.
“Dewitt, you guys okay in there?” Murdock asked on the Motorola.
“Have one wounded, but outside of that we’re alive. A patrol of some kind came back, and sensed something was wrong. They jabbered in Japanese, then opened fire.”
“We’ve got company for you, about forty Russians. You come out and we’ll let them go in.”
Murdock found the Russian major panting up to the trucks where the SEALs were cuffing the Japanese troops.
He frowned at Murdock. “You shoot them but don’t kill them. How do you do that?”
Ching translated.
“Major, it’s our little secret,” Murdock said. “We’re giving you back your headquarters. The only stipulation is that you don’t shoot any of the Japanese. These men are only unconscious. They’ll wake up in three to six hours and be thirsty as hell. Take care of them. You can put them in your old jail if you want to. We’re looking for the little general who started all this.”
When Ching translated, the major offered to send along troops.
Murdock accepted two men who knew the island, knew where the defense points were, and the outposts.
“The bay,” Lam said. “When we gonna check it out? Bet that little Nishikawa guy is down there.”
“The rifle fire up here will have alerted him that something is wrong,” Dewitt said. “You think he’s down there?”
“Best way is to go down and see,” Murdock said. “Who got wounded?”
“Washington. Took a round in the ankle. Looks broken. Doc is tending to it.”
Murdock went over to where Doc Ellsworth had splinted Washington’s right ankle and leg.
“He’s on the shelf for the rest of this one, Skip. Suggest he stay here with the Ruskies.”
“Hey, no way, man,” Washington protested.
Murdock punched him in the shoulder. “Your lucky day, Washington.
You can find some pens and paper and work on that novel you tell me you’re writing.”
Washington brightened. “Yeah, I could. Good idea.”
Some of the freed Russians ran into the headquarters building with shouts. Others grabbed the rifles of the unconscious Japanese.
Murdock turned to Lam. “Which way are those docks and the bay?”
Lam pointed, and the SEALs fell into their diamond formation and moved down the street. They found one walking sentry, and zapped him with an acoustic gun before he could get off a warning.
The bay was six blocks away, and Murdock and his men took it cautiously, working from cover to cover. They stopped when they had a good view of the small bay and the finger pier that extended out into deeper water.
The bay was only two hundred yards wide and about that long. A protective strip of land extended nearly to the mouth, giving the anchorage good protection. A dozen small fishing boats dotted the bay.
Murdock figured they were for crab fishing.
One warehouse stood at the shore end of the pier. It was dark and evidently closed. Murdock used his NVGs and spotted a machine-gun emplacement complete with sandbags halfway down the one-hundred-foot pier.
A military jeep was parked fifty yards from the far side of the bay, and Murdock could see a dozen men there gathered around the vehicle.
“Dewitt and Adams,” Murdock said on the Motorola. ” Take out the gun emplacement on the pier. We’re using the EARS. The rest of us, check out the jeep to the right. Let’s see how many of them we can put down. We’ll freelance on targets. Do it now.”
The whooshing of the acoustic guns came again and again. Men around the jeep went down. Murdock heard the jeep engine gun, and a moment later the small rig blasted away from the scene, making sharp turns and twists, then darting behind a nearby house and down a street out of sight.
Four more men tried to run away from the scene, but they were zapped by the EAR guns and put down. Ed and Adams had worked the machine-gun emplacement and cut down the two men on the gun.
“Cuff all the Japanese and throw their rifles into the bay,” Murdock said. “Then we have to find that damn little general. Holt, fire up the SATCOM on the TAC frequency and let’s talk to Home Base.”
A minute later Holt handed Murdock the mike.
“Home Base, this is SEAL.”
The reply came back quickly. “Go ahead, SEAL.”
“We’re on land, have control of the headquarters, and have released the Russian military. Have cautioned them not to shoot any Japanese, but that’s problematical. Searching for the general who was not at the HQ. We have Tomcat cover?”