Franks looked at Blake.
“Sir, sounds like a release clamp.”
“What?”
Nathan got off the intercom to the Weapons CPO. “Yes Sir, release clamp jam. Draining tube to clear it.”
Franks knew out there was an Akula preparing to fire and here he was with his dick in his hand.
“Sir,” said Blake, “IEDs.”
“They were all back there! It’s the wrong fucking bridge!”
“Just do it, sir. Do it now!” Blake shouted.
Franks turned to the COB. “Is that bubblehead Herzer still in the can?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Signal him to release a suit. Bang on that fucking hatch.”
The A ganger hit the hatch hard three times with his baby beater. Inside, Herzer, surprised, removed a WAEFFO suit, opened the cylinder and inflated the suit. It quickly raced up and left the cylinder.
A US Marine with binoculars sat at one end of the huge bridge. He saw the suit and picked up his radio mike.
“Watch party. We have a signal on the surface.”
“Copy, watch party.” At six locations across the bridge, the Marines had hung 155mm Howitzer shells deep below the bridge.
“Goddamn signal. Detonate the IEDs.”
“SIR,” SAID NOSEY, “FISH in the water, it’s the Akula, Type 53.”
Shit, thought Franks. “Eject countermeasures, starboard. Blow ballast, come hard to port, max revs.” The boat rose hard and came to the left.
“Enemy fish coming in, range point four miles, point two five. Pinging, pinging, range point one mile. Oh, point six.” It was all down to the countermeasures now. God help us, thought Franks.
Nosey stood and punched the air.
“Yes, yes. Sir, IEDs have gone off, six of em.” Nosey stood and shouted, “Yes. IED. Next to the enemy fish, its motor is stuttering. It’s off course.” There was a huge thudding sound out to front and right.
“Fish has gone off, it’s blown,” said Nosey.
Franks breathed again.
Thank God, thought Nathan, Colonel Tonroe had promised he’d try to set IEDs on the next bridges too, if he could. Nathan grinned; the USMC had kicked ass.
“Sir, they’ve unset the clamp,” said Nathan, “our fish has cleared, flooding tube, opening outer doors. Solution good. Launching.” The rushing came from forward.
“Fish running. Pinging, pinging, cutting wire. Closing, pinging.”
ORLOV LOOKED INTO HIS sonar man’s eyes, saw the look of horror, and knew.
The Mk 48 hit Leopard amidships to starboard. Her hull ripped open the length of three compartments. A massive gas cloud rose towards the surface. What was left of the boat hit the seabed hard. The Leopard was dead.
“HOT DATUM, TANGO ONE,”
Franks had to get the knife in and twist it.
“Forward 14 knots. Nosey, get those ears on.”
USS NYC made her way north, twisting and turning up the channel. She had become dispassionate, unstoppable. Out of the darkness loomed a terrible spirit, death her game, vengeance her goal. She turned a corner in the dark submarine channel. Franks face now a mask of grim determination.
“I sweep away all hope, all faith. I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
For the Russian boat, the USS NYC came out of the gloom, unexpected.
“Contact up ahead sir, Kilo class.”
Franks narrowed his eyes. “Weaps. Get him.”
“Sir, tube one selected. Designate target Tango one. Firing solution laid in on Tango one, tube one. Flooding tube, outer doors open. Fish ready in all respects. Fish is hungry. Launching.” The MK 48 ran hard and fast, and the Kilo didn’t even have time to launch countermeasures. The fish slammed down on her from above.
“Hot datum,” said Nosey.
The strait became quiet again. Nosey detected no more contacts in the Bosporus.
“Where are we, Pigeon?”
“By the Yavuz Sultan Selim suspension bridge sir. The northernmost bridge.”
Franks nodded and waited an hour. “This will do. Trim for ascent, up bubble 15. Surface the boat.”
THE USS NEW YORK CITY came to the surface just north of the bridge and slowed to four knots. She was back at the north end of The Bosporus.
“Sir,” said Commander Krupa, “this just came in from CINCUSNAVEUR sir.”
Franks read the slip.
PRIORITY RED
B 86563571Z JUN 51 ZY87
CINCUSNAVEUR NAVAL FORCES EUROPE. NAPLES ITALY//E1//
TO NEW YORK CITY
EURFLT// ID E947QV54//
NAVAL OPS/31
MSGID/EUROPS 6722/CINCUSNAVEUR ACTUAL//
MSG BEGINS://
RUSSIAN ASSAULT BY VDV AND THE BLACK SEA FLEET TRANSIT OF BOSPORUS CANCELLED DUE TO INABILITY TO CLEAR STRAIT OF SUBSURFACE THREAT. SIXTH FLEET ASSETS NOW IN SEA OF MARMARA.
YOU STOOD TALL AND HELD YOUR GROUND. THEY DID NOT PASS. YOU ARE RELIVED//
MSG END//
Franks grinned and passed the communication to Nathan.
The hatch opened, and two seamen followed by the COB climbed up into the sail. The COB stood by the jackstaff, he unfurled and raised the stars and stripes. All saluted.
Old Glory flew proudly in the breeze. It’s a challenge; if you want it, come and take it.
THE TV THEME MUSIC intro ended. Grim faced, she looked out at the audience.
“I’m Marcia Goldforli. This is NBC, and our Eyes are on the World tonight.
We’ve been sent a recording. This recording is genuine, we can’t tell you how we know, but we have verified its authenticity. I must warn you it contains graphic events of a sexual nature. The identity of the woman has been disguised by digitally smearing the image. Her voice is spoken by an actor. The identity of the man has not been disguised for reasons that will become obvious.”
The recording played. He lay with his back against a pillow in bed. The man was obviously naked. Laid over his legs face down was a woman, her shoulders and back were bare. The woman’s blond hair hung down over his groin. Her face was inches above his groin obviously performing a sex act on him. She intermittently spoke to him, encouraging him to speak.
“The fools are starting to believe us. Can you imagine? Can you?”
“What am I imagining, Yuri?” she said.
“We will soon make our dream come true. The greater Russia. First Ukraine then… Jesus, Bleep.”
She bobbed her head above his groin for long seconds, then lifted her head away.
“What were you saying? Tell me,” she asked.
“This is just part one. Ukraine first then the…” The recording ended.
Marcia looked at the audience.
“The man in the recording is the Deputy Russian Ambassador Yuri Komarov. He refers, of course, to events in Ukraine. Now you, our viewers, know what Russia is really up to. What it really thinks of the situation. Believe it or not, we’ve cut some of the more graphic sections. But they contain more spoken revelations from Deputy Ambassador Komarov along the same lines. We contacted the State Department. They refused to comment. They also refused to say the recordings were false when given the opportunity.” Marcia smiled. “The Russian Embassy refused to comment on what we have seen, as we expected. You saw and heard it first here. I’m Marcia Goldforli. This is NBC, and our Eyes are on the World tonight.”
The picture faded, the program theme music started.
IT WAS A MORNING LIKE any other, he picked up a copy of the Washington Post and walked the two blocks to his store. He opened the door to Saul’s Stamps, inside he hung his coat, made a coffee and started to read the newspaper. The first customers wouldn’t be here for an hour or so.