Lomax resumed his seat and strapped in tight. The car flashed across the street before seeing them. The brakes went on and then the car reversed wildly, weaving from right to left.
Lomax smiled grimly.
Still in reverse, the car turned. Lomax could hear the brakes screech before the accelerator was floored and the car shot back, reversing down the alleyway. It wasn’t clear what their intention was. Perhaps they wanted to ram his car or possibly just block his exit. Whatever they wanted to do, Lomax had no intention of letting them succeed. He put his car into reverse and stepped on the accelerator.
DD snapped forward against the straps. Lomax saw the approaching car accelerate towards them as they reversed. Suddenly he was out of the narrow alleyway and into a side road. He gripped the handbrake and yanked the wheel over at the same time and the car pivoted around the rear wheels. When he straightened up he could see the alleyway. Lomax watched as the other car backed out into the road. They reversed and turned quickly to face him, tyres screaming with the friction. Lomax stamped on the throttle, aiming straight at the turning car. He could just imagine the panic they were experiencing. The hunted was turning on the hunter.
At the last moment the driver of the other car panicked, shooting forward and out of the way. By this time Lomax was already moving fast. He took the next turn past the alleyway and came out onto the same highway he had left earlier. Looking in the mirror he saw the other car execute a wild handbrake turn and start after them.
Lomax glanced in the mirror at DD, sagging against the seat restraints like a rag doll. Time to lead them into the killing zone he thought.
DD reached consciousness slowly. He glimpsed low rise houses and shopping malls out of the window. Soon they began to peter out and he briefly saw open spaces between agricultural shops and the odd petrol station. He was being thrown around in his seat as Lomax shot the car through a series of bends. DD sensed the skill and professionalism as Lomax rapidly manoeuvred the car.
‘Where are we going?’ DD was surprised at how weak and husky his voice sounded.
Lomax didn’t answer. When DD looked up, he could see Lomax was too busy to talk. Then without warning, DD was flung sideways against the straps as Lomax used the handbrake again to execute a sharp turn. He braked hard after twenty metres, then used the handbrake again to turn the car in its own length, ending up facing back towards the main strip.
DD saw Lomax’s shoulders hunch with the effort as Lomax pulled the car into the side and crept forward in first gear. Through the side window DD had a good view of the street ahead. He saw Lomax turn his lights off and heard him rev the engine a few times. He was about to speak again, when Lomax held his hand up, anticipating the interruption. ‘Brace yourself.’
DD felt the cold night air steal over his face as Lomax wound the window down a fraction. He stared in the direction Lomax was looking. DD heard the sound of a car engine, then saw it as it edged forward along the main street.
Almost without looking, DD knew this was the car that had been following them. It had slowed, possibly to check the exits to the main strip. In less than a minute it would be checking the road they were on. DD couldn’t understand why Lomax wasn’t responding — why was he sitting there like a stone statue?
DD soon found out. In one fluid movement Lomax released the handbrake and accelerated the car smoothly up through the gears.
Then the realisation hit. Lomax had no intention of continuing to evade the chasing car. A single emotion leapt to the forefront of DD’s brain — fear.
He grabbed the arm rests as the car flew forward to its fate. Some last minute safety mechanism switched on in DD’s mind and he covered his face with his arms in the brace position. In the last few seconds before they hit, out of the corner of his eye he saw the other car growing rapidly larger, and then the grim almost calm expression on Lomax’s face as he gauged the combined trajectories of both cars, pushing the accelerator to the floor, matching the physical equations that would bring the two steel cages with their living occupants into intimate contact with each other, their destiny sealed by a final deft touch of the wheel.
Chapter 25
Captain Sheering watched his first officer count down the seconds.
‘Three, two, one, mark!’
‘Fire control, launch sequence initiated.’
The USS Cheyenne lurched as a cloud of compressed air was released from the capsule launch system.
’Missile away from VLS’ intoned the Weapons Officer as the missile left its vertical launch tube in the centre of the boat. ‘Transiting water-air barrier’ he continued; ‘solid fuel booster ignited.’
The Tomahawk was already above the sea, accelerating rapidly to cruising speed. A few seconds later with its solid fuel expended, the turbofan engine cut in. It started to descend towards the water, levelling out 50 metres above the waves.
‘Con, sonar. We’ve lost the target — it just disappeared!’
‘Fire control, re-program last known position of target.’
‘Fire control, re-programming.’
The Captain caught his Executive Officer’s worried look again. Tomahawks were expensive but at least they were able to be re-programmed in mid-flight. When this was all over he intended to have a quiet word with his XO — he needed to start thinking like a Captain if he ever wanted to be one.
‘Thermal layer thinning!’ The sonar operator’s message was almost a shriek.
‘Right full rudder, try to get back into it’ said Sheering calmly.
As the sub heaved to starboard the noise and vibration increased enormously. Without the protection of the thermal layer the Captain knew they would be exposed to the full force of the energy being beamed at them. Unfortunately this would take them closer to the point where the cruise missile was due to arrive with its warhead of 450kg of high explosive.
Above the waves the cruise missile was halfway through its short flight. It began to curve back, constantly comparing its position obtained from its GPS to the spot it had been programmed to seek out. Less than ten seconds later it found it and changed the angle of its stubby wings to plunge into the sea.
Moments later the sonar operator reported. ‘Missile has re-entered the water.’
The submarine began to shake up and down its length. A loud hollow booming noise caromed around the enclosed spaces, forcing men to protect their ears with their hands.
The vibration was making it difficult for men to stand. Rather than fall over in front of his crew the Captain sat in the nearest chair, grabbing the arms for support.
There was one more thing he could do. For a split second the Captain wondered if his Executive Officer had had the same thought. A quick glimpse confirmed that his XO was too engrossed in what was going on around him. It didn’t look like he was thinking about alternative strategies to get them out of a very difficult situation.
Suddenly the vibration ceased and the loud booming stopped.
Captain Sheering was surprised — what had caused the bastard to break off the attack? Before we go down I want to give that bastard something from me, he thought grimly.
‘Fire control, launch torpedoes from tubes 2 and 4!’
The order momentarily caught Fire Control napping. ‘Fire control, launching torpedoes from tubes 2 and 4!’
‘Thank you fire control. Let’s make it more snappy next time!’
‘Everyone, standby to surface. Blow all ballast for emergency surface!’