THE BRINK - OPERATION DEEP FLIGHT

by Marshall Huffman

  “Bearing?”

  “Key West 160 degrees, 1,500 feet and sliding down. The other sub is at 312 degrees.”

  “Luke, are you all right?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Chief, would you see if you can get the power back online?”

  “On it.”

  “Need a hand?” Peter asked.

  “Sure. Come on,” he said already heading off. Peter looked over at Susan.

  “Go. I’m fine,” she said, taking a fire extinguisher off the wall and aiming it at the small fire.

  He didn’t move at first.

  “Get going. We need power. I’ll be right here when you get back,” she said.

  He leaned over and quickly kissed her then hurried off. Okeefer had already raced ahead and had reached the auxiliary machinery room. He opened the door and stepped inside. Just as he did, a two inch trunk line carrying nitrogen let loose and the liquid struck the Lieutenant in the chest like a hammer blow. He was knocked against the hatch frame and slid to his knees. The liquid nitrogen at minus 260 degrees continued to spray over him. He was dead before he realized it.

  Peter arrived just seconds later and could see the mist caused by the boiling nitrogen. It quickly filled the room and spilled over into the passageway. He tried to reach Okeefer but it was impossible. The liquid continued to spew out in full force. There was nothing he could do. He made one last attempt before deciding to go back to the control room.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  - CHAMELEON -

  “Marcus, the Lieutenant is dead. A ruptured N2 line shot liquid on him. I can’t do anything. If this keeps up we will lose our fuel cells.”

  Susan let out a small gasp.

  “What about air?”

  “It wasn’t the cryo-generator, just the nitrogen. We will be all right as far as oxygen is concerned.”

  “No way to shut off the nitrogen?”

  “None. The automatic shut off valve should have activated when we lost main power but it did not. We can’t get in the room to manually shut it off,” Peter said.

  “So, no generator, no main power.”

  “You got it. How are we doing up here?”

  “We are holding our own. We have plenty of battery power. The Key West is gone. She broke up and is still heading toward the bottom. The other sub is taking on water. Her reactor SCRAMED,” Marcus told him.

  “SCRAMED? What does that mean?” Susan asked.

  “Shut down. The first reactor has a safety control rod that absorbs neutrons. It hangs by a rope over the core of the reactor. If the reactor started to get out of hand they would yell for the ax man to cut the rope and shut it down. He is the Safety Control Rod Ax Man. Hence, the term SCRAM,” Marcus explained.

  “Navy people,” was all Susan said.

  “We are not in much better shape,” Luke said, “I can hold her here at 2,800 feet but our propulsion system is damaged and I can only move the dive plane a few degrees.”

  “Get a report on the rest of the crew if you would Peter.”

  Peter quickly made a round of the ship. He was glad to see that the rest of the crew came through pretty well. They had a few small leaks but nothing major. The Sonar man had a nasty cut on his head. The outer torpedo door was sprung and would not close all the way. He quickly learned that the evaporator units were flooded with sea water and one of the sight glasses was broken letting water spill into the bilge. He secured the valve and stopped the flow of water. He checked the auxiliary machinery room and found that nitrogen was still flowing out of the line. He could do nothing about it. He headed back and reported his findings to Marcus.

  “What about the other sub? Can we do anything for her?”

  “We can use the thrusters to get over to her main escape hatch. We could couple-up and offload some of her crew.”

  “What about the rest?”

  “We would have to make several trips but it can be done. We could send for the Henry Clay and have her assist.”

  “Let’s give it a try. If they keep taking on water with only back-up power they might not make it,” Marcus said, “Sonar, give me a fix on the sub.”

  “She is bearing 314 degrees, 900 yards at 770 feet. She has slipped down 20 feet in the last few minutes. She is really taking on water. She tried to blow ballast but nothing is happening.”

  “Luke let’s see if we can get this thing over to her and get those people off.”

  For the next hour they maneuvered the Chameleon over in the direction of the crippled submarine. It was taking a long time and Marcus knew she didn’t’ have much more. She was already down to 950 feet by the time they got over her. It took another twenty minutes to get situated right over her escape hatch. They still had to make a connection.

  “Twenty feet down. You’re doing good. Steady doctor. Fifteen more feet. You are right over the hatch. Easy. Down. A little port thruster. That’s it. Easy. Ten feet. Five. You are almost on her.”

  A soft thud and a slight shudder ran through the Chameleon as she made solid contact. Marcus and Peter started immediately toward the docking collar. It took five minutes to obtain a collar alignment and to get her locked down securely. They pumped the water out of the passageway, equalized the pressure and opened the hatch. Marcus went down the ladder and stood on the deck of the damaged submarine.

  “Give me something to tap out a message with.”

  Peter located a good size wrench and handed it down.

  Marcus tapped out, “Docked to emergency hatch. Open hatch.”

  No response came. He waited then tapped out, “US rescue vessel. Open hatch.”

  “Marcus. Down to 1,250 feet,” Peter relayed from Luke.

  Marcus tapped out, “No time to be a hero. Open the hatch. Now.”

  At last the handle turned and the hatch opened. The Captain was looking up at Marcus. He held a .45, pointed straight at Marcus.

  “Don’t be a jerk Captain. We don’t have time for your theatrics. If you want to keep your men alive you had better get a move on,” he told the man with the gun.

  “Don’t move. I’ll blow you away,” the Captain of the sub yelled.

  “Just stay calm. If you stay down there you will all be crushed. Shooting me will solve nothing. The man above me will just close the hatch and disconnect. You will continue to drift further down until you implode. You really don’t have any other options. Either shoot me or get your men started up here. We will disconnect at 1,500 feet one way or the other. Your call.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Admiral Marcus. USS Chameleon. Now Captain, that is an order. Get your men out of there before it’s too late. Don’t be a fool man. The Key West is gone. You can do nothing more,” he told him.

  The Captain slammed the hatch shut and spun the wheel.

  “You fool,” Marcus shouted at him in vain. There was nothing else he could do. He slammed the wrench against the door in frustration.

  “1,355 feet.”

  “I said we would disconnect at 1,500. I’ll wait,” Marcus said without bothering to look up at Peter.

  “Come on up Ray, it’s over. We’re at 1,500 feet. You did all you could.”

  “Stupid ass,” He yelled.

  He closed the hatch once more then started up the ladder. The Chameleon lurched to port and the submarine below them started making groaning noises.

  “Disconnect,” Peter called out quickly.

  “I can’t” Luke said,

  “I’m trying but the deck has buckled and the clamps aren’t retracting.”

  “She is starting to buckle. She is going to go down. Her pressure hull is giving out,” the sonar man said but they could not hear him.

  The Honolulu had started a death spiral down. She was sucking the Chameleon down with her. Finally, the collar sheared off and they were free. The stricken submarine continued on down. A loud rumble filled the DSV as the Honolulu imploded.

  “Blow ballast. There is no reason to hang around here. They are all dead,”
he said disheartened.

  “Sir we can’t blow ballast. The valve is stuck,” the sailor reported.

  “Get a lever. Anything,”

  “The dive planes are stuck down. I can’t get them to respond,” Luke told them.

  “Great. Any other good news?”

  “We have all seen the movie you planned to show tonight,” Peter said and they all broke out laughing at the absurdity of the comment.

  “You are crazy. Funny, but definitely crazy. Alright, let’s get that valve unjammed.”

  It took them a few minutes but once they had equalized the pressure on both sides of the huge disk valve, it opened and they were able to begin their ascent.

  “It’s a good thing our dive planes are stuck in the down position. We are going up at a pretty good clip,” Luke said.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  - CHAMELEON -

  The Chameleon surfaced and Marcus and Peter immediately went up the ladder. It was a clear and beautiful day with just a light chop on the water.

  “It’s great to be alive,” Peter said.

  “It is indeed,” Marcus said turning his face toward the sun.

  Peter started to sweep the horizon with his binoculars.

  “Ray, something is coming our way,” Peter said nudging him.

  Marcus took the binoculars and looked through them.

  “Looks like a Tin Can. That must be the Clay. She is steaming right for us,” Marcus reported.

  “Can we signal her?” Peter asked.

  “You bet,” Marcus said calling down to send a message to the Clay letting them know who they were and their condition.

  The signalman sent out the massage and waited.

  “No response, skipper.”

  “Don’t tell me it’s another nut case,” Peter said dejectedly.

  Marcus had him repeat the message several times but they got no reply. The destroyer was closing fast. The Clay was visible without binoculars now and it would only be a short time before she was right on top of them. A shot from the forward guns rang out and a few seconds later a shell hit the water only a few yards from the bow of the Chameleon. Water sprayed over the Con as Marcus and Peter ducked down.

  “Now what? Are they going to try to sink us too?”

  “I would say that is a safe bet,” Marcus said.

  “Can we maneuver around and fire a torpedo at them?” Peter asked.

  “It’s worth a try but I don’t think we have time to get around. We’re 180 degrees out,” he said and yelled down the hatch, “Luke starboard forward thrusters, and full power. Port aft thruster full power.”

  Marcus was going to try to swing her around.

  “Our batteries are almost depleted. We don’t have much thrust. Maybe 10 percent,” Luke yelled up.

  “Give it what you can. If we don’t do something we won’t need them anyway,” Marcus said.

  “Wave the white flag. Tell them we surrender,” Peter said.

  Another shot came whistling overhead, even closer. It went just over the top of the sail, spraying both of them in a bath of seawater.

  “Get everyone on deck. Fast,” Marcus ordered.

  The Clay was heading directly for the Chameleon’s mid-ship.

  “This is not going to be good,” Peter said.

  “I’m afraid not,” Marcus said, helping Susan and Luke through the hatch.

  “Hurry. Hurry,” he yelled down the ladder.

  “Luke, take Susan and move forward on the main deck. You are going to have to jump for it. Hurry,” Marcus ordered.

  “Peter, come on,” Susan pleaded.

  “I’ll be there in plenty of time. Go on. I don’t want to have to stand here worrying about you,” he said forcefully.

  She and Luke quickly moved to the bow on the main deck.

  “Susan, can you swim?” Luke asked.

  “Some. I’m not world class but I think I can stay afloat if I have to. How about you?”

  “Some. It’s not what I do best.”

  “Go. Get them over the side,” Marcus screamed down at them.

  They jumped in the water one after the other. Luke gathered up Susan and helped her calm down. They started swimming away from the boat. Peter could hear Susan yelling something but her words were lost. The Clay was only minutes away.

  “Time to go. There is nothing else for us to do here,” Peter said.

  “Go on. I’ll be right there,” Marcus said.

  “Look Ray, either you go with me right now or I stay put.”

  “Peter, you are the most stubborn man I have ever known. Now get your ass off my boat.”

  “Forget it. You want to play Navy boy and go down with the ship so be it. I’m staying to see what kind of a fool you make of yourself,” Peter said and sat down on the deck.

  Marcus looked up and saw that the Clay was only a few hundred yards away. He looked down at Peter who wasn’t paying any attention to Marcus.

  “You blockhead. Let’s get off this tub,” Marcus said and headed for the ladder.

  Peter stood up and quickly followed. They raced toward the bow and were just ready to jump in. The sea boiled up suddenly and water shot up in the air. A huge hole opened just under the destroyer and she sank from sight in seconds. The Clay was nowhere to be seen. She had been swallowed up. Almost immediately the water turned glassy smooth again. They all stared in amazement.

  Marcus scanned the surface but there was nothing to see. It was as if the Henry Clay had never existed. After looking around for a few minutes more, Marcus yelled for Luke, Susan, and the others to come back on board. They made their way back but it was a lot easier getting into the water than out of it.

  “Look, if my hair needed washing you could have just told me,” Susan joked.

  “It was your deodorant. It failed,” Peter shot back.

  “It’s going to be your dead body they smell if you don’t get me below and into some clean dry clothes.”

  “Now that sounds like job I can handle,” Peter said smiling.

  “Pervert,” Marcus said as they started down the ladder.

  Peter didn’t even bother to look up. It was quite some time before they resurfaced on deck. Marcus didn’t even bother to comment.

  “Someone will come for us, won’t they?” Peter asked.

  “They sure will. Some of us were hard at work making contact. Help is on the way.”

  “Wow, this has been some day,” Susan said but Marcus wasn’t sure what she was referring to just then. He let it go.

  Two hours later another ship appeared and soon they were under tow. It was going to be a long trip back to Pearl Harbor.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  - THE WHITE HOUSE –

  “There are a few things I still don’t understand,” President Beland said.

  “Only a few?” Susan said.

  “Well, the point is, I don’t get why they didn’t just destroy our ships in the first place. Why put you through all of that?”

  “Sir, I believe it was a test of our resolve. In a confusing way, they wanted to make sure we were really willing to protect them. I know it seems strange, especially since one of their big concerns with our civilization is that we kill each other. That wasn’t what really worried them though. They got what they wanted; us to assure them that we would never venture to their world.”

  “Seems like they could have done it a lot easier. Send a message telling us to keep our noses out of their business,” Beland said.

  “They probably did not believe we would do that. We all know that our record of keeping our word is pretty poor,” Susan said.

  “I feel bad for the sailors that went down with the Key West. The Admiral killed a lot of innocent men. This is one time that having a chain of command failed miserably.”

  “What happens to Peterson and Durance?”

  “They have been stripped of all rank and will be tried for treason,” Beland said.

  “The press hasn’t said much about it so far,” Susan re
plied.

  “They are far too busy with the Bhakktah story. Let’s face it; it would be very challenging to find a bigger story.”

  “So now what?”

  “We are getting all of the space capable nations together next month to determine the best way to make sure we keep our agreement. We certainly won’t let any one nation place the entire planet in peril.”

  “What about the Chinese? They do what they want and to heck with the rest of the world,” Admiral Marcus said.

  “I’m sure we will have many challenges but as long as Russia and the rest of Europe go along, we will handle China,” the President replied.

  “Transmissions between Titan and Earth have been reduced to almost nothing. They are waiting to see if we are really going to keep our word.”

  “We will,” the President assured them.

  “I certainly hope so. The nuclear devices are still in place and there is nothing we can do about it,” Peter replied.

  “Admiral Marcus, your country owes you an insurmountable debt of gratitude. It seems that adding a forth star to your uniform hardly makes up for all the sacrifices you have made.”

  “Mr. President, everyone in this room made sacrifices. This would not have been possible without Dr. Long, Dr. Lucas, and of course, Dr. Farris. Also, we must not forget Lieutenant Okeefer.”

  “Lieutenant Okeefer will receive the Distinguished Service Cross medal posthumously. It will be presented to his next of kin. You have all certainly done your part admirably. The world owes you a debt that cannot be paid. Now it is up to the rest of us to secure the future of Earth. Who knows, in time maybe we will become wise enough to stop having wars and killing one another.”

  “Amen to that,” Susan said.

  ***

  They all attended the funeral, including the President of Lieutenant Okeefer and Arlington National Cemetery. Luke went back to work and they eventually adopted two kids and life pretty much returned to normal for them.

  General Peterson and General Durance were tried and found guilty of treason. Peterson was hung on a cold afternoon in February. General Durance requested a firing squad and his wish was granted. He died on March 4th. Nothing was ever found of Admiral Zoren. All that was known was that he was on the Key West when it sank in 25,000 feet of water.