“So, we’re alone. Or are we?”
Renard shook his head. “Assume we’re always being watched. I see no reason why the Americans wouldn’t record our links and assign someone to watch them in real time. I would if I were them.”
“No secrets, then?”
“No enduring secrets. If you want a temporary secret, I don’t believe anyone who’s listening speaks French.”
Taking the hint, Jake switched to his boss’ native language. “Were Mikhail and Andrei deployed when Dmirty ran?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“Maybe I can find them and convince them to come to the Specter. I don’t have a tank, but I could keep them in a dry torpedo tube. I don’t want to lose them. Are you okay if I send out their return-to-home message?”
Renard sighed in thought. “No. You can’t risk having your broadcast overheard while you’re near the Indiana. The Iranians obviously know a little something about dolphin management.”
At the Specter’s control station, the silver-haired French mechanic lifted his jaw. “The new package with the UUV codes has arrived.”
“Have Claude make one of his geeks install it.”
“What? You don’t trust me to do it?”
“A man your age who can turn a wrench? No, Henri, I do not.”
“Fair enough. I will find you a geek.”
Speaking English, Jake returned his attention to Renard. “Then Mikhail and Andrei are at risk.”
“Indeed. You should know, however, that Dmitry ordered them to plant their bombs on a submerged target. You may face an adversary who could be defeated with a simple detonation command.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m still concerned about retrieving Mikhail and Andrei.”
“You can concern yourself with them later. They’re in far less danger than you are, and you have more pressing matters.”
Jake shrugged. “Should you let me go, then?”
“Yes. You’ve had your masts exposed long enough. Too long for my tastes, actually. I wouldn’t have allowed it if not for the urgent need to communicate. Now, go protect the Indiana and await the California’s return for additional instructions.”
“What about Terry’s timing?”
“He’s still on schedule, last I heard, which was thirty minutes ago. I expect that he’s deep now and maneuvering into position to carry the Indiana. It’ll be slow and delicate work.”
“I’m sure. I’ll head back there to protect them. See you, Pierre.”
“Prove to me once again that you are charmed.”
“Lower all masts and antennas, Henri.”
As the French mechanic obeyed, a black screen replaced Renard’s image.
“Henri, make your depth thirty meters.”
The Frenchman made the deck dip and level again. “Steady on a depth of thirty meters.”
“Very well, Henri.” Jake looked to Remy. “Antoine, get your team looking in three-hundred and sixty degrees. Standard search for Iranian assets, plus whatever you can dream up to listen for as dolphin commands.”
Raising a finger to hush his commanding officer, the sonar guru curled forward and then pressed his muffs to his ears. Within his isolated world of watery sounds and auditory memories, Remy remained motionless.
Jake became anxious. “Antoine?”
The sonar guru’s toad-shaped head turned. “High-speed screws. Torpedo in the water. No bearing drift.”
“Shit.”
“We need to run.”
Adrenaline coursed through Jake’s veins as he stepped to the central plotting table. “Torpedo evasion! All-ahead flank, cavitate!”
Rising from his seat at the ship’s control station, the silver-haired mechanic grabbed a microphone and relayed the message over the submarine’s public announcement system. “Torpedo evasion! All-ahead flank, cavitate!”
Jake called out to Henri. “Prepare to launch gaseous countermeasures.”
The French mechanic tapped icons. “I’m ready.”
“Launch countermeasures.” While the deck shook with the acceleration to flank speed, the Specter’s commander turned to the central plotting chart, grabbed a stylus, and hesitated in thought.
“Our course, Jake?”
The Specter’s commander ignored Henri.
“I need a course. We’re not on an evasion course.”
Inhaling through his nostrils, Jake made his decision. “Is the UUV software installed?”
“I don’t understand why you’d—”
“Answer the question!”
“I think so. Claude said it would take less than five minutes.”
“Thinking’s not good enough. Contact him, find out, and get it ready.”
Henri’s tone became accusatory. “I know what you’re thinking, Jake, and I don’t like it.”
“You have a better idea?”
“Merde. I do not. I can only pray that you’re still charmed, as Pierre says.”
“You know what I want?”
“For both UUVs to make their maximum speeds towards us?”
“That’s right.” Anxious, Jake ran his hand through his hair. “And if you haven’t figured it out yet, stay on the ordered course. I did the math in my head, and this might work.”
“Might?”
“It’ll be close.” Jake looked at his sonar ace. “Antoine, I want two reactive weapons, one five degrees left, the other five degrees right of the bearing of the incoming weapon. How long do you need to program it?”
“Julien already has two weapons ready in the system and will update the offsets now. You only need to pick the torpedoes.”
“Starboard side. Assign tubes one and three.”
The technician seated beside Remy tapped keys to prepare the torpedoes. “Tubes one and three are ready.”
“Shoot tubes one and three.” The back-to-back impulse launches popped Jake’s ears as the compartment gave its air to the torpedo tubes. “Who’s handling communications with the UUVs?”
Remy swiveled his toad-shaped head towards his young associates. “Noah can handle it.”
Two seats from the guru, the young technician tapped his screen. “I’ve got the American communications software system called up. I see a new menu for controlling a UUV.”
“Connect with both robots and send them towards us at their fastest speeds.”
Noah tapped his screen. “I’m trying now.”
“Use maximum power.”
“I’m transmitting.”
Jake heard the Specter’s bow-mounted sonar system whistling through the hull. “Watch for a response.”
“Nothing yet, Jake.”
“Shit. Keep trying every fifteen seconds.” Jake called to the officer who rode his ship as a consultant. “Commander Martin, do you have anything to add?”
Standing behind Jake, the tall, slouching American rider stepped to the central table and spoke with a Texas drawl. “You’re doing the right thing. They’ll answer.”
The young sonar technician tapped a key and forced the submarine’s hydrophones to wail and echo throughout the control room. “No response yet.”
“Keep trying, Noah. Antoine, do you have a solution on that incoming torpedo?”
The toad head shook. “I can make something up, if you’d like, but it’s in our baffles and coming right for us. I have no idea of the range.”
“Is it behind our countermeasures?”
“At the moment. When it passes through, I’ll know the range.”
Ignorant of the time to impact and lacking communications with his potential torpedo sponges, Jake tapped his fingers against the charting table. He wanted to ask for information but realized the futility. He needed to wait for it.