Suddenly, it was on them. Heavy steel chains rumbling across the bottom, hanging from something up above.
Innes was being pulled down to the base of the chains, he knew his mouthpiece could be pulled out and his mask ripped off. It couldn’t happen. May was being pulled down even faster. No. The wall of chains ran into them pulling them along and down with it. Innes mind raced, they were being pulled down to the riverbed where they’d be dragged along entangled. At the mercy of the rough violent chain wall. He knew it would be very short on mercy.
Chapter 3
Innes turned in the darkness and took hold of May’s arm, he grabbed the links and pulled himself up. He could only use one hand and the links were rotating and overlapping, clanking with a dull sound as they turned. Innes pulled and pulled, one hand pulling May after him. He slowly ascended the rumbling clanking wall of chains. It pulled them along with it, he looked and was relieved that she was holding it together, at least trying to. He now knew what it was. The wall was trawling for mines, any mines caught up in the chain wall would detonate. A simple net would block submarines, but any mines laid would still be active. He got May up maybe 20 feet, that would do. It was hard to keep your hands from being caught in the links, he watched and swapped his grip. Innes looked down at May, she was pushing at the wall keeping herself off it. He tried it, it worked. He shook his head and thought, I’ll learn from anywhere. It was pushing them back, he noticed the depth seventy feet. It was time to come up shallower. He knew they were being pushed back, as long as it didn’t drag them down. Innes knew it must reach up to the surface, the ships must have a frame to hang it from. It was exhausting the constant pushing, pushing. And then it stopped. What the hell? He heard the engines pulsing thrumming, thrumming. Then slowly the chain wall started to move away from them, he swam after it and took a hold on a chain. They separated now as they retreated. May took a hold of it too, she’d got it. Follow the chain wall, it had pushed them back, now it could carry them further up river with it. Long minutes went by as they hung on the chain wall, eventually it stopped, then it started to turn to starboard. Innes knew, that was it. The sailors above were going to park the chain, and this was as far as they’d follow it. He left the chain, got May’s eye and pointed to the south. That’s where the river bank would be, they were near the end and it was now time to ascend and get a position fix.
Innes took a bearing south and kicked off, he looked back to check if May was following, she was. He angled upwards aiming for a depth just deeper than 20 feet. A few minutes south he came to a concrete wall, it was covered in a green wispy algal growth. He turned to May and held his hand out then pointed up to the surface with a thumbs up sign. He tugged on the buddy line, she’d have to follow him part way up. Innes had turned off his helmet light as he’d ascended from depth. He rose up the slimy green dockside wall, he soon found himself at the surface. He put the palm of his hand out stopping May. Innes looked out at the base they’d entered. It was a river with moorings on both sides, across the river was a Frigate and an offshore patrol boat. On his side further up-river a Frigate or Corvette was tied up. There were the usual dockside lights for workers or crew access. The nearest lighting gantry was seventy yards away up by the ships, down river it was darker. There were a couple of small buildings and a pile of wooden beams. The hillside behind was lightly wooded, he couldn’t make out any fence, but one would almost certainly be there. He swam back down river for fifty yards and stopped. Innes pulled on May’s buddy line. Within a minute she surfaced next to him.
“You OK May?”
“Yes, that chain dragging was terrifying, what was it?”
“They were dragging for mines. This looks about the best spot, up there through the trees. There’ll probably be a fence up there. Can you find your way from here?”
She nodded. “Yes, I know someone in the town. A contact, who’s waiting.”
“Ok get out here.” She pulled off the Re-breather and handed it to Innes, then climbed out. She took off her fins, mask and dry suit and handed them to him. He secured them by a holding net and clipped it on to a D ring hanging from him. He looked up at her, glad he wasn’t going with her into that strange hostile land. For him it was the easy part, descend and swim down river, locate the boat and get aboard.
“Good luck May.”
“Thanks.” He replaced his mouthpiece, vented his buoyancy and slipped beneath the water.
May took a look around the port and turned to the wooded hillside. She carried her papers and enough Renminbi to pay for what she’d need. In her wallet was plastic that she could use to pull more from a bank account. She was alone now in the People’s Republic, this was just the start. She walked across the dockside for the hillside. From further down towards the warship up-river came a shout.
“You there. Stop, who are you?” It was a naval security guard, she saw him heading towards her swinging his AK47.
“Shit.”
AT THE BASE OF USS Stonewall Jackson’s sail, the hatch swung open and a weight belt and Re-breather were passed down to the main companionway. Innes followed, Nathan stood by.
“She’s ashore Sir, we had an incident with a mine chain net but got by it.”
“Well done Innes, get to the Galley and have what you want, then hit your bunk for a few hours. I’ll see that your duties are covered.”
“Aye sir, thank you.”
Nathan returned to the control room. “Sir, we have a postcard.”
Lieutenant Commander Lemineux, the boat’s Communications Officer shrugged as he handed Commander Blake a communications slip.
“This just came in from COMSUBPAC sir.”
PRIORITY RED
R 231347Z MAR 93 ZY09
COMSUBPAC PEARL HARBOR HAWAII//N1//
TO STONEWALL JACKSON
PACFLT// ID S072RQ81//
NAVAL OPS/02
MSGID/PACOPS 6722/COMSUBPAC ACTUAL//
MSG BEGINS://
YOU ARE AUTHORISED TO UPGRADE FOUR UUV TO EXPANDED STATUS.
PLEASE FIND ATTACHED UPDATE DOCUMENTATION AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS UPDATES FROM LOCKHEED MARTIN AND L-3 CHESAPEAKE SCIENCES CORP. THEY HAVE STAFF ON STANDBY.
MSG END://
Nathan walked over to the Weapons Officer’s station and laid down the communication slip.
“You and the Engineers will be busy Weaps. I’ll put the boat in position off northern Taiwan at periscope depth so you can get on with it.”
The Weapons Officer smiled. “Yes sir, this is just what we wanted.”
With the boat at periscope depth 35 miles off Taoyuan City north west Taiwan, Weaps started work. He installed the updates, ran tests and reported the results to the manufacturers in the US. Made changes and re-tested.
Eighteen hours later he reported. “Sir, all Pointers upgraded. Ready for a deployed test.”
“Load Ren in tube six.” The boat carried four Pointers, these are Underwater drones launched from a torpedo tube. Named after the hunting dog, they can be wire guided or free-swimming recoverable intelligent decoys. Pointers can sound like the USS Stonewall Jackson and can simulate active sonar, torpedo launches, or countermeasures sounds. Deceiving the enemy into thinking that they are facing the real thing. All were named after cartoon dogs, they carried Scooby, Deputy Dawg, Ren and Stimpy.