They sat at a table with two coffees and a tea. A couple of families sat a few yards away on an adjoining table. Three children ran around laughing and playing like children do the world over. Nikki ran her finger through her fair hair and gave May a questioning look. She looked to Nathan and nodded. He cleared his throat.
“So, May. Are you ready to tell us what you want from us?”
May smiled. “You’ll have to beg.” He grinned.
“I can beg May. If you ask me sweetly.” Nikki hit him playfully.
“You’ll be begging me, if you do.”
May stayed silent for a while.
“We don’t want conflict with the PRC, but it’s said, “Dig a well before you are thirsty.” We’d be foolish to ignore the possibility. What we’ll need initially is help inserting a spy into the PRC. The spy’s task will be to contact certain deep cover elements. It’s a deadly mission, it’s a win or lose situation, torture and death would be the result of failure. We can’t use airlines or shipping lines, they’re too closely monitored. It’s just too risky. I’ve been advised that you can get by their defences at night, get near the shore and insert a diver. I believe you’ve done it before?” Nathan nodded.
“We’ve done that. Do you know what defences they have?”
“I don’t, but we have people who do. The spy will need to be inserted near a major naval facility, so they’ll be protecting it.”
“Infil into hostile terrain. We can do that, it’s tricky, but it can be done, yes.”
May looked down at the table and ran her fingers over the embossed flowered patterns. “There’s a problem,” she whispered. Nathan raised his eyebrows.
May looked him in the eyes. “The diver, the spy, won’t be able to dive.”
He smiled and shook his head. “We can teach him. I know the very man to do it. He can escort the guy into shore too.”
Nikki smirked. “May, who is this spy?”
May looked at them both and flicked her long black hair.
“I thought you’d guessed. It’s me.”
Chapter 2
He looked out of the aircraft window, it had been a featureless Ocean crossing, but they now descended towards the Island’s greenery. The China Airlines 737–800 banked to the left and lined up with Guam’s runway.
“Here we are May,” Nathan smiled at her.
“I hope you’re good at blowing bubbles. Innes will have you in the deep blue tomorrow.”
Nikki tapped her on the forearm. “Innes is good and the diving here is great. I’ll come along with you soon.” The aircraft touched down and rolled off towards the disembarkation point.
THE TRUCK ROLLED UP at pier 4, May and Nathan climbed out with their bags. At the pier side was a large submarine, the USS Stonewall Jackson. A sailor stood on top of the sail and shouted back inside, soon two men climbed down the sail and came ashore over the gangway.
“Sir, welcome back, we’ll take your baggage.” It was taken aboard and soon Nathan followed by May, they climbed down the sail and stood on the main companionway.
“Is the Chief aboard?”
“Yes sir.” The COB appeared.
“Sir.”
“Chief, this is May, she’ll be with us for a while, can you get her set up with a bunk and show her around.”
Nathan checked through the boat’s status reports, on his workstation at the Conn. All seemed in order, the Engineers were carrying out some minor repairs, but nothing out of order.
The COB entered the control room. “I’ve got her sorted and showed her around, she’s in port 5 C sir.” He walked back to cabin port 5. May was in there stowing her things in the bottom outside bunk, two female sailors were asleep in the two top bunks.
“May, this way.” He led the way to the Galley, Nathan took a coffee and she had tea. They sat. The Galley was empty which was a little unusual.
“Did the COB show you around? All ok?” She nodded.
“Not what I’m used to but it’s ok. Different. Look Nathan I’m on expenses, I can stay in a hotel.”
“It’s security. You’re more out of the way here and we’ll be at sea in four or five days. Chief Innes will start your training tomorrow. You’ll just get the basics, enough to do the job.”
“Ok, sir.”
“Don’t call me that.” May Hsin smirked.
“Sorry sir I was joking. Where’s Nikki, why didn’t she come aboard with us?”
“She was delayed.” He gave her a sheepish look.
May sat back folded her arms and gave him a knowing smile.
“May. She’s crew, that’s it. Ok?”
“If you say so sir,” said May with a sceptical smirk. Nathan pursed his lips.
“Go where you wish, talk to who you want, but say that you work for Kawasaki legal dept. They won’t pry any more. Just mix in.”
“Ok I’ll try.”
THE NEXT MORNING, SHE was shaken awake by a thirty-something year old sailor, he wore a blue coverall with rank markings, but she didn’t know their meaning.
“May. I’m Innes. Come on and get breakfast in the Galley, we’re going out diving this morning.”
THEY CLIMBED THE SAIL and down onto the deck, laid there waiting were two Poseidon SE7ENM Re-breathers with two ten litre cylinders attached.
“Ok May. This is what you’ll use, it’ll get you ashore. The main thing is you’ll effectively have no depth-time limit and it won’t produce tell-tale bubbles.” He spent time explaining in more detail how it worked, then they loaded them both into a Rigid Hull inflatable alongside. A sailor sat on the central control seat.
“Ok, Estell. Take us to Bush beach, far side of the point.” He started and made his way from the pier then opened up the throttle.
At the beach, he told her to get the Re-Breather out and carried it to the beach. Innes helped her put it on and checked it out.
“Right here we are. Nice and slow not deep just a few meters, let’s get you used to it. They spent an hour and came back towards the shore. They surfaced and walked sideways up the beach, she took the Re-Breather off.
“Ok, May?”
“Yes, it was odd being able to breathe underwater, but it was great.”
“Right we’ll go a bit further around and get deeper. Give me the thumbs up sign if you’re not comfortable.”
“Innes,” she whispered. “have you seen those people over there?” He looked and laid out on the sand there were several couples and three girls all naked sunbathing.
He nodded “Yeah, you get that here. Why do you think we call it Bush beach?” They loaded the Re-Breathers and left the area.
They surfaced after the second dive and still in the water she took off the set, the sailor pulled them aboard.
“That was great Innes. The fish were amazing, so many, so colourful, and I saw an Octopus.”
“Yeah well, there’s more theory back at the boat and more dives tomorrow. If you do ok, we can do a night dive tomorrow.” May opened her mouth.
“A night dive? I’m not sure about that.”
“May, you’re going to Infil ashore in hostile territory. You’re not going to swim on to a beach in sunshine wearing a skimpy bikini like a Bond girl. You’re not a Goddamn tourist. If they know about you, they’ll try to kill you.”
THE NEXT DAY HE HAD her practice the Infil dive in daylight twice. He attached a buddy line and made her get ashore and take off the dry suit. He made her dress in what she’d wear ashore. It was wet but would dry. That night she did it in the dark. She surfaced off the boat and started to remove the Re-Breather.
“No stop,” he grinned, “you get a rest and then we’ll do it again.”
“You’re a slave driver.”