by Cliff Ryder
"Stop right there. If you go any further it will turn into an order and then I'll have to defy it just to soothe my wounded pride. I don't take orders very well," she said.
"No orders this time," he said. "Think of them as firmly worded requests."
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. His hand paused on her hair, letting several strands rest between his fingers. He would have loved nothing more at that moment than to take the time to explore every strand of hair on her head. When he got to the end of this he was going to take some serious time to consider that part of his life. To figure out what it meant to truly care about someone for the first time in his life, to figure out if what he felt for her was love.
She climbed into the vehicle, sitting in the back with Tanuk, while Jesse took the driver's seat and Jason the front passenger's seat.
"All set?" Jesse asked.
"Set," he said. "Let's finish this."
* * *
They drove to a cove south of the village, choosing to use a new location. It was a safe bet that the others they'd used before were being watched. Jason went down to the waterline and placed his beacon, and only had to wait a few minutes before the Scorpion emerged from the depths. It had been repaired, and from a quick check, the modifications he'd requested had been made, as well.
He made a mental note to send a thank-you to the offshore team if he survived all this. They had gone above and beyond getting everything done. The others were standing near the front bumper of the SUV, and he turned and said, "Let's get this thing loaded up."
Jesse looked up and Jason could see some level of concern etched on his features, but he nodded. "You're the boss," he said. He moved around to the back of the truck where the cargo was stored, and Tina and her grandfather moved to follow him.
The briefest flare of reflecting light was the only warning they had.
"Cover!" Jason yelled, diving behind some rocks and hoping the others would do the same.
A barrage of shots rang out, the bullets ricocheting off the rocky beach and several hitting their truck with loud pinging noises. Jason peered over the rocks and saw a large group of men, led by Chris and Troy, coming down the hillside. A quick count and he tallied a dozen.
"Status?" he yelled.
"We're okay," Jesse yelled. "But this could get ugly."
Now that they were pinned down, the men coming down the hill had slowed their firing and were taking up positions to surround them. They couldn't all fit in the Scorpion, which meant that they would have to fight their way out of the ambush. He risked another glance and saw that Jesse and Tina were crouched behind a rock outcropping similar to his, while Tanuk was kneeling behind the front side of the truck.
Jason dived out from behind the rock, rolling to his feet, and making a dash for the truck. "Get behind those rocks, old man," he said, yanking open the door and diving inside.
Several shots rang out, but his sudden move had surprised everyone and they missed.
He crawled into the back and found the sniper rifle. It was a fairly new Russian model, the VSK-94, fitted with a silencer and a scope. He grabbed the 20-round magazine and attached it to the weapon, then crawled back until he reached the front seat.
A few shots rang out, but the tinted windows and the angle made it hard for anyone to get a decent shot at him. After a quick look to see where the attackers had taken up position, he lowered himself out of the SUV, then onto the ground. He saw that Jesse and Tina were still in the same place and that Tanuk had made it to a better shelter.
He waited a moment until he caught Jesse's eyes, then mouthed, "Get ready." He offered a thumbs-up.
Jesse nodded and whispered to Tina.
Crawling beneath the truck, Jason found a solid position near the right rear wheel. A large stone provided additional concealment, and he slowly moved the barrel of the rifle to the thin window of space between the rock and the tire. His own angle wasn't great, but all he really needed was to thin their numbers enough to get them to rush his position in a panic.
He peered through the scope and swept it over the hillside. "Come on," he said. "Somebody stick your head up."
At that moment, Troy decided to take a look.
"Wish granted," Jason whispered, squeezing the trigger. The weapon made barely a sound, but the impact of the gas-fired round on Troy's forehead was spectacular. He came completely to his feet in surprise, his nervous system taking over, then toppled backward, the back of his skull removed.
The action caused two more men to peer up from their own cover to see what had happened. Jason fired twice more in quick succession, dropping them quickly.
A few scattered shots were fired in return, mostly at Jesse and Tina's position.
"Stop firing, goddamn it!" Chris yelled. "He's got some kind of sniper rifle."
The sound of his voice was enough to get a fix on his position, but when Jason looked through the scope, he couldn't see Chris. He'd picked a good hiding spot.
Patience, Jason counseled himself. The others will get nervous, make a mistake.
He continued to sweep the hillside, and another two minutes passed before one of the men risked a look. Jason squeezed off another round and the bullet took the man in the throat, spraying blood on the person concealed with him.
"Bill!" the other would-be soldier yelled, coming to his feet.
It was enough and Jason's shot found him in the left ear and he dropped. That made five dead.
"Stay down, damn it," Chris yelled.
"He can't take us all," one of the men shouted back. "I say we rush him."
"Be my guest, you moron," Chris yelled back. "It's your funeral."
That was the moment Jason had been waiting for. He'd been betting that Chris wasn't the kind of leader who inspired any particular loyalty in the men he worked with, but those men would know each other and feel a level of loyalty to each other.
The remaining men jumped to their feet and ran down the hillside, shooting as they moved.
"Now!" Jason yelled, not bothering to look to find out if Jesse and Tina knew what to do. The sound of their weapons firing was more than enough information.
He continued to use the sniper rifle, picking his targets carefully. Eight men rushed down the hill, firing as they went. Four were dead before they'd hit the bottom — two from his rifle and one each from Jesse and Tina, who were using handguns and had to pop off their shots and then dive for cover again.
The others suddenly changed their minds and tried to make a run for it.
"Not today," Jason said, flicking the selector switch to full auto. He mowed down the final four like wheat before a combine.
When silence descended, he could hear Chris cursing up a storm. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
"Guess you're out of soldiers — if you can call them that," Jason shouted. "If you surrender, come down with your hands up and no weapons, I won't shoot you."
"Yeah, and I suppose if I leave a tooth under my pillow tonight, the tooth fairy will bring me money, too!" Chris yelled back. "You killed Troy, you bastard! You killed all of them."
"I'm a little cranky," Jason hollered. "Don't make it worse."
There was a long silence, then Chris shouted, "How about I come down there, unarmed, and we settle this like men and I kick your ass for you?"
"Sounds fine to me," Jason said. "Come ahead."
He watched through the scope as Chris slowly stood up from behind the shelter of rocks he'd chosen, then very purposefully dropped his weapons. He held up his arms and turned a full circle. "I'm unarmed and I'm coming down!"
Jason watched him most of the way, then shimmied backward and rolled out from beneath the SUV on the far side. Jesse and Tina had been joined by Tanuk and they held their weapons on Chris as he reached the rocky beach.
Jason moved forward, still holding the rifle.
"Thought you said we could fight," Chris muttered. "Or maybe you're afraid."
Jason chuckled. "Of what?" he asked. "You?"
"You never know what you can find lying around in the tundra," Jason said. Turning to the others, he told them to put away their weapons.
"You're not seriously going to fight this guy, Jason," Jesse said.
"It's what he wanted," he said. "Are you worried?"
"He's a good fighter, Jason," he warned. "Really good."
Jason turned his attention back to Chris and studied him. He was standing loosely, weight on the balls of his feet. The muscle tension of his body showed that he was coiled to spring like a snake.
"Interesting," Chris said. "Are you worried now?"
Shrugging, Jason said, "Not really."
"Oh, yeah," Chris said. "I can almost smell your fear. Kicking your ass is going to make my whole year." He inched forward. "Why aren't you worried, hero?"
"I'm not a hero," Jason said. "And what you are smelling isn't fear, you idiot. It's burnt gunpowder."
"How's that?" he asked.
Jason lifted the rifle and shot him twice in the chest. "Because I just shot you, moron," he said.
Chris stumbled backward, his hands pressed against the wounds. "But you…" He coughed and spit blood. "You're supposed to arrest me."
"Sorry," Jason said calmly. He pulled the trigger a third time, and the round hit home, taking Chris between the eyes and silencing him for good.
"Jesus," Jesse whispered. "That…that was harsh."
"Saved time," he said. "Besides, I don't have the energy to waste beating him up. There are things to do and we're running out of time to do that."
"Speaking of things to do," Tina said shakily. "Just before they showed up, Jesse was telling us something I think you need to know."
"Oh? What would that be?" Jason asked.
Jesse sighed heavily. "They haven't finished loading the sub," he said. "It's a safe bet that Feng Li is on board, but Boris will still be at the base, getting those minis loaded up."
Jason shrugged. "I'll deal with the base after I've dealt with the sub. Those minis won't have anywhere to go if the sub is gone, and even if they beat me there, so what? A few weapons more or less isn't going to make that big of a difference."
Jesse shook his head. "You don't get it, Jason. There are still two nuclear warheads at the base. They came in with the Asp the last time it landed. If we don't pin them down there, who knows where those will end up?"
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Jason asked angrily.
"Honestly, I didn't even think about it until we got here," Jesse said.
"All right," Jason said. "Where does Feng Li keep the Asp? I know he's not keeping it at the base and the sub can't hold it."
"I don't know," Jesse said. "But if we can pin them down there, maybe we can keep those nukes out of Feng Li's hands."
"And how do you propose we do that?" he snapped. "I can't be in two places at once."
"No, you can't," Tina said, her voice soft. "But we could go. Hold them until you get there."
"What? No, you can't be serious!" he said.
"Do you see any other options?" she asked.
"It's a foolish risk," he said.
"Denny told you to use us," she replied. "So use us. I can handle myself, so can Jesse."
"I want you safe," he said. "Didn't you hear what your grandfather said? It's not your time to act."
"Maybe it is now," she said. "Isn't this what Room 59 is about, Jason? Keeping the world safe? Sometimes you have to fight — and risk things you care about — to protect not just the world, but your family, your future. The work I do for Room 59 isn't as dangerous as yours, but it's still important to the cause. I can't let some crazed lunatic take off with an advanced nuclear sub and the weapons to use it."
"I don't like it," he said.
"I know you don't," Tanuk interrupted. "But Tina is right. It feels right. This is the way things are supposed to be."
"I suppose you're going to go with them?" he asked. "Risking your neck, too, just because?"
The old man shook his head. "No, I will return to the village. The other elders will hide me and keep me safe until it's over." He glanced at Tina. "I am sorry for all this, my granddaughter. I am too old to fight these kinds of battles."
"I know," she said. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Get going, old man. I'll see you soon."
"She hates emotional goodbyes," Tanuk said. He kissed her, then shook hands with Jason and Jesse. "Do right," he said to them. "And make our world safe again." Then he turned and in moments had disappeared into the hillside grasses.
"So, new plan?" Tina said.
Jason nodded, feeling more than a little morose. "New plan," he agreed.
"We won't let you down, Jason," Jesse said.
"Good," he said.
He briefly explained what he wanted them to do and, despite their accusations that he'd lost his mind, he eventually got them to agree. They helped him load the Scorpion with the equipment he'd need, and kept the rest for their assault on the base.
They'd need every bit of it. He knew that much. He could only hope they'd still be alive when he got there.
He shook hands with his brother, then pulled him into a rough embrace. "Keep her safe," he said.
"I will," Jesse replied. "Just get to us as fast as you can."
"Done," Jason promised, turning to Tina. She pulled him close and kissed him.
"Get to work now," she said. "And try not to get yourself killed."
"I'll do my best," he said.
He climbed into the Scorpion and guided it into the murky Arctic waters. It felt as if he'd never see either one of them again, but it didn't matter. He'd found a woman he cared about and a brother he didn't know he had, and somehow that brother had seen that being on the side of good was more important than any paycheck. They were people who made caring easy, the risks of caring worthwhile.
And none of that mattered. The mission had to come first.
For Jason, it always had…and it always would.
19
Jason took a direct route back to the sub, expecting that the minisubs they'd been using were back at the underground cavern, taking on their final loads. The tide had gone out, and with it, many of the largest pieces of ice debris. Closer to the surface, the water was a dark green, almost an emerald with the tiniest bit of light; down where he was, the darkness closed in tight. He relied on both his vision and his radar to avoid obstacles — large piles of frozen rock, huge beds of ocean weeds that floated on the currents, and even whales, which seemed to avoid him almost of their own volition.
One of the things he'd asked the offshore team to do was retrofit the Scorpion's hull, using the same light-bending technology, but to project the image of a barnacle cluster, rather than a school of fish or other marine life. He guided the Scorpion closer and closer to the sub, hoping that his plan would work.
It was in the same location as before — Feng Li must have felt very confident not to move it. He slipped around beneath it to the torpedo tube where he'd previously placed the magnets. Originally, he'd planned to use the special dry suit and swim to the sub, but time was too precious now. He had to get this done and join Jesse and Tina at their main base of operations before they were both killed. Just before reaching the tube, he powered down the Scorpion's engines to almost nothing. He barely had guidance control, but it was just enough.
He eased the craft ever so slowly until the escape hatch of the Scorpion was directly positioned over the torpedo tube, then he extended the ring of magnets he'd had the offshore team install. He shut down the engines and let the magnets do the rest of the work. The magnets drew the Scorpion and the sub closer together, and with a dull thud his vessel locked on to the sub. He had to hope that there was no one in the torpedo room at that moment wondering about the noise.
When he engaged the escape hatch, the field would create an air lock of sorts, allowing him to enter the torpedo tube.
He checked his weapons and handheld once more, then opened his laptop. It was time to determine if the line leech had done its job. The computer powered up, and he tapped in the code that would connect his computer, the Scorpion, the handheld and the line leech all together. The software worked silently for almost two minutes before it gave him the message "All connections established."
"Good to go," he said. He left the laptop running in the Scorpion and used the handheld to override the alert command on the submarine's torpedo tube. He showed it as undergoing routine maintenance, then stepped over the field and reached through. The outer door of the torpedo tube was icy cold, but the seal was good.
He entered a new command into the handheld and the outer door unlocked. He reached down and opened it, then slipped silently through the field and into the tube, going head first.
He made his way down the tube, fervently praying that they didn't choose that precise moment to test fire a weapon or something, until he made it to the hatch where the torpedo itself would be loaded. Once again, he used the handheld to order a computer override — this time a command to open the interior tube door.
After several seconds, he heard the sound of the bolts sliding free, and he watched as the tube door opened. He continued on, sliding out of the tube and into the torpedo room itself, crouching and looking for enemies. The room was empty.
Taking out the handheld once more, he typed in a search command, looking for the set of plans he knew had to be stored within the main databanks. It was tempting to try to sink the sub remotely, but he knew that they could manually override any command he gave their system from the bridge. He didn't want them to be aware of a problem until it was far too late to do anything about it. The handheld was searching, so he slipped it back into his pocket and moved to the doorway.
Jason threaded a small suppressor onto the barrel of his Glock and crept forward to the hatch leading to the next compartment. Glancing down the hallway, he could see that there were three men walking down the passageway. Two stopped and climbed up a ladder to the next level, while the third continued on in his direction.