The Chase: One Courageous Skipper Battling The Perilous Evil Out To Destroy Him. (Sea Action & Adventure)
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The shooting resumed. They scrambled for the dinghy and took off toward the entrance, into the sea. Some sporadic shooting continued but there were no more hits.
The Russian sailors vanished into the Aegean Sea. By the time Avri reached his Galatea, the submarine was almost fully submerged, just a small, shrinking isle of steel. Sophia walked down the hill, slinging the German Mouser, that heavy WWII rifle. She smiled but was tense. So was Avri. He spread his arms and hugged her excitedly. She trembled slightly.
"Let's go," she said. "I don't think it is a good place to hang around. Not a good place to be found".
"Yes. Let's go," he called at the top of his lungs. "Let's sail away. I am free at last".
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Sophia waved her hand as they bade farewell to the island. She was sure there was someone waving back.
A small group of men dived into the submarine. It was lying in a hundred feet of water, easy to reach. The gas was gone, washed away by the water. They, for a change, knew subs and could read Russian. They also had the instruction manuals, courtesy of General Oleg Chichloshko of the USSR Naval Intelligence.
Pumping the Slavianka up was easy, readying her to sail again was a different story. First they had to make her look like a sailboat. A big one. A whole lot of plywood sheets and lots of paint turned her into a huge Club Med yacht, aluminum masts and all. That took some twenty hours of non-stop drudge. By morning the yacht was ready. By that afternoon she was painted and shiny. Someone added a name to her stern, RUSSIAN VODKA.
Pumps were draining her. Hot air was used to dry up all the circuits. Israeli Navy boats were patrolling the region to deter visitors.
CHAPTER TWETY FIVE
EPILOG
There was a surprising phone call on his cellular. Someone identifying himself as Lieutenant Colonel Eli of the Israeli Navy had invited Avri to join an interesting event at Haifa Port that coming Tuesday. Avri's inquiry about the nature of the occasion was answered by a short chuckle, "I can assure you it will be most interesting. You wouldn't want to miss it".
So there he was. The guard at the gate checked Avri's ID against his list and waved him in. The massive barrier cleared the entrance and he drove in along the Haifa Port docks.
The security procedure repeated itself at the Navy gate. Avri was directed to the far pier at the South end of the harbor.
There was a small gathering on the dock, both uniformed and civilians, talking quietly in small groups. Avri scanned group for a familiar face, just as Danny came up from the left. He extended his arms toward Avri with a broad smile.
"What's that happy smile, Danny. Last time we met you screwed me up good. I needed your help and you left me with that Russian hardware and a goddamned submarine chasing me all over the islands. Some help you were".
Danny hugged his shoulders and turned him to the right. A woman stepped out of the crowd and toward them.
It was Sophia.
"I'll be damned. And what the hell are you doing here?" Avri asked, and then he added, "And who are you anyhow?"
Sophia hugged him heartily and whispered in his ear "welcome", in Hebrew. "Yes, Avri, I am not Italian. Sorry I had to deceive you, it is my job. I am with the Mossad, and so is Danny".
Avri regained his posture and smiled at both of them, "You sure got me fooled, both of you. Sure got me fooled. And what are we doing here anyway. And what's with all these people?"
"Let's see," Danny said. "It must be somewhere in the water, here".
He guided them to the end of the pier right at the waterline. In a few minutes a gray shadow approached from underneath the sea.
It grew bigger as it emerged from the water. The tower of the Slavianka slowly arose into the gleaming sunlight. Avri stood there speechless. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"You stole the submarine. You actually stole a Russian submarine! This is unbelievable. Stealing a submarine. You brought it to Israel. Wow, how incredible!"
There were speeches and handshakes and hugs and kisses while Avri questioned the events, putting things in order: where did it start, when did these guys decide to take over the Russian craft and what was his role in all that?
And then, when he figured it didn't matter anymore, he turned to Sophia and asked with a smile, "Would you have dinner with me? Please".
The end